Heart By Heart
by luna-incendia14
Summary: Annabeth left letters in her highschool library six years ago to anyone who found them. Percy was that anyone. The last one told him to live for her. And so he did. Percy is now a famous musician and Annabeth's an aspiring author. What happens when these two meet for the first time by accident and realize just how much those letters impacted them. Is it fate? Or something more?
1. The Letters in the Library

**So I forgot to put in a disclaimer... but really would I be writing here if I was Rick Riordan? So not mine.**

* * *

**Chapter One The Letters in the Library**

_I don't know why I'm doing this._

_I honestly don't._

_I saw it in a movie (it was a sad movie. Never make a movie about a dying old man and a dying child with cancer together. It makes for a terrible ending) and so I thought. Why not? Why not do something I normally wouldn't do? What's the point in living if you don't do something unexpected? After all, you never know when it will be your last day. After all you never know when you'll be missing the opportunity of a lifetime. _

_My step-mother says that I spend too much time in my books. I read a lot and she says it's unhealthy, imagine that a person actually thinking it's unhealthy to read. But she does. She thinks it's unhealthy for me to dream so much. But I'd rather live in a world where I choose who I want to be. Why be someone boring when you could be a hero, or a side kick or, god forbid, the damsel in distress, or even a villain. (Thought I am a firm believer that not all villains are bad. I mean just look at Snape from Harry Potter. Everyone loves him)._

_I don't know if I'll actually do it. Maybe I'll actually do it. Maybe I'll actually try and create my own fairy tale. Maybe I'll finally see some relief from this storm, I used to be terrified of storms, so much so that I'd hide underneath my sheets and cry until it was over. Now it's so normal in my life that I'm not afraid, just tired. Maybe I won't be tired anymore._

_Maybe._

_I seem to use that word a lot. Maybe I'll try and go through with my dreams. It is only high school after all. I won't always have to live with these expectations. There's a whole new door after I walk across the stage and accept that diploma. I can't wait to throw my hat in the air and get out of this prison. That's all school is after all. Most of the people who know me would laugh at me saying that. You would probably laugh to. In fact you're probably laughing right now. _

_So if you find this I guess I was brave enough. And you'll have to bear with me or maybe you'll throw this letter away and not read it. I hope you read it. I hope I'm not wasting all of this pen and ink. _

_So if you're reading this: persevere. Don't let go. If you don't then I promise I won't._

_Word for the Wise: We all will hit the floor one time or another, our skin bit cold by metal. We'll all be bruised and broken, battered and beaten. But it's when we try to rise again, that is when we find our courage. (This is my quote by the way. But I give you permission to use it. Maybe you'll become famous by it. That would be wonderful)._

The girl with the long blond curls pulled up in a ponytail stood in front of the large bookshelf, holding the letter so tight in her hand that it was beginning to crumple. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, trying to decide which book.

This was part of the fun. Trying to decide which book was the right one.

In the end she decided on a book about the Revolutionary War. She felt a bit like she was rebelling against something even though she didn't know what quite yet. She pulled the thick book out and shoved the letter in and turned on her heels before she had the opportunity to swipe it out of the pages and throw it away.

No, she would leave the letter in the book and maybe, just maybe someone would find it. But if no one did then there was no harm to it.

The girl returned to her table and swung her backpack onto her back and headed out of the library. "Have a good rest of the day dear," the old librarian said to her favorite student. The girl gave her a weak smile and then headed out of the library, leaving the letter in the book and heading to her Ancient Greek class.

She sat down at her desk, tapping her pen nervously against her desk. What if she got in trouble? What if someone she didn't want to found it? What if someone found out it was her! But she shrugged those feelings away.

There would be no fun in that.

The girl with the blond hair made sure her curls were covering her neck.

To hide the bruises.

_So I checked the other day and the letter's gone. I guess that means that you found it. Whoever you are… Funny how this works. _

_So what did you think? Am I just a silly girl (I am a girl, I hope you could tell from my handwriting) or did you think there was some point to it? Well if you're reading this again then I guess you thought it did. Or maybe you just wanted to laugh at me again. So laugh away. _

_Today I had another storm. I got home and my step-mother was angry because I was late. I work at the book store every day after school to try and earn some extra money because my father won't give me a cent. Or more my step-mother won't. My dad's always off in California. That's originally where I'm from but we moved when my mother ran off (another Storm). She hit me, she does that a lot. But the sad thing is. I've grown used to it. But soon I'll be gone and I hope that I can fulfill my dream._

_I realize that I've talked about this dream that I have a lot but you don't know what that dream is. Well I guess I should tell you. I want to be a writer._

_Yes, yes go ahead and laugh. But that's what I dream to be. I know it doesn't pay well but I want to show the word my words, show them what's turning around in my head, what ideas are swirling around (there's a lot of them by the way) Maybe I'll write some of my works to you. I usually write near midnight. I'm a night owl. I work better at night. There's something about the stars and the moon that seem to whisper ideas and words into my ears. It speaks to me. I love words. Maybe that's why I'm writing to you. _

_Did you think about my promise? You're not giving up are you? Good. Because I'm not either._

_Words for the Wise: Night is when the stars come up, when the moon gets its turn to shine and that's when my mind spins, when it dreams. When I gaze at the stars and dream and then I'm taken to another world, a world of dreams and beauty. And I never want to leave. So don't leave. Don't leave your dreams ever._

_Post Script (that's what PS stands for by the way, I just learned that) I will be putting the next letter in The Boys in Blue: A Civil War Story. Just in case_

The boy pulled out the book, the exact same one as yesterday and opened it. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the letter that lay nestled between the pages. He pulled it out and then put the book back.

The boy with the raven black hair touched the red seal and then dug his nail underneath it. He would never have found this if it hadn't been for his failing grades. So for once he was actually happy he had Dyslexia. He had been here with his tutor and she (she wasn't pretty at all. Not like the girls he usually dated) had sent him to get a book on the Revolutionary War so that they could work on his project for Civics.

That was where he found the letter.

And he was captivated by it. He had loved the way the words floated off the page. They had made him smile, really smile. Most things earned him a cocky smirk not a real smile. And then the challenge that she had given at the end. _Persevere._ It made him think. Was there someone else out there who was going through something as hard as he was?

The boy with the dark hair shoved the letter into his back pocket, he'd have to read it later, not that many people thought that he could even read. But he would struggle through it and he would read this letter.

The boy swaggered out of the library, gave the librarian one of his arrogant smiles and pushed the doors open and headed out into the busy halls of the school which he ruled.

Before he continued he made sure to pull down his sleeves.

To cover the scars.

_So then hi again! I hope that your school day is going well and all that junk. I thought that I should write that just for formality's sake. My day's going fine… I guess. Sometimes people make me so mad though. Do you know how I feel? There are times when I just want throw my hands up in the air and be done with it all. Do you know what I mean?_

_It seems like the world's too full. Like there are so many people rushing around, hurrying from place to place. Do they even care? They say that they care about me but do they even have time for me? Do they even notice me? Would then even cry if I was to conveniently "disappear". Oh don't freak out, I'm not done with this world…yet. I still have plans, I have to publish my book, I want to see England and Greece. _

_But do you understand? I mean my step-mother says that she "cares" about me but I sincerely doubt that she would be willing to die for me, I doubt that she loves me. Which brings up a question I've been pondering. What is love? Is it those sappy feelings that are portrayed in those stupid romance movies? (Okay, okay I am guilty of watching them). Is it a passionate make out with your boyfriend… or maybe it's a girlfriend in your case.. Or is it something more. I hope that it's something more. All the other options seem so… artificial. Like how artificial sweetener is not actually sugar. That's a bad analogy I know. But we can't be brilliant all the time can we?_

_How's my challenge coming along? Are you doing fine? I hope that you are. I hope that you remember that you aren't what everyone else thinks that you are. You're yourself… not that I know who that is being that I'm only writing this on a piece of paper and praying that some librarian isn't throwing it away. That would be gods awful._

_Words for the Wise: The love that moves the moon and the stars, the love that holds me tight during the storms, whispering that it's okay, that they'll fight the storm for me. That is the love I want. Someone who will never let me go, who will never abandon me. Who will die for me. But if that's the love I want, then that is the love I must give. And give it I shall._

_Post Script: Tanks and Subs: The Inventions that Changed the World_

The girl with the grey eyes like storms laughed with her friends, or at least the people that claimed to be her friends. She prayed that they would. "You okay?" Her friend with the electric blue eyes asked, shaking her shoulder. She was probably the one the grey eyed girl would truly call her best friend.

"Fine, just fine," she said, giving her best friend a weak smile to try and convince her. But the blue eyed girl shook her head but let her continue to daydream.

The girl was thinking about the letter which she had just left in one of the history books. She smiled, thinking that maybe someone was reading it. She looked down at her notebook which was shoved full of stray pages and scrawls of bits of conversation she liked.

"How's the book coming along?" One of the girls at the table asked her.

The grey eyed girl shrugged. "Fine," she said. "Just fine."

"What's it about again?" Another girl asked, leaning forward and trying to snatch at the notebook. The grey eyed girl smacked her hand away.

"Nothing and don't touch," she said, trying to grin but not feeling like it. Her shoulder was sore from last night.

"Hey what's that?" Her best friend asked pointing at the large bruise on her shoulder which was visible from her shirt which was slipping down on the shoulder from her constant tugging at it.

"Nothing, nothing at all," the girl with the grey eyes whispered.

_My best friend nearly saw my bruises. Do you know how embarrassing that would have been? Oh gods I can't even believe what she would have done if she found out about my step-mother. My best friend isn't exactly the most calm or patient girl in the world. Not that I am either. Maybe that's why we get along so well. We're always at each other's throats. _

_Guess what! Today I got a letter from NYU! I'm accepted! I nearly screamed when I got it but that would have woken up my step-brothers and then my step-mother would have been mad (don't you miss being able to sleep in because school started later?). But that means that I'm that much closer to getting my dream. Oh gods I can't wait! It's a dream really. Maybe the Disney catch phrase is true: dreams do come true. Only I didn't wish on a star._

_I blew on a dandelion. _

_Okay so not really. Are you going to college? Or maybe you're one of those people who decide that they're going to go off and backpack across Europe. That would be fun. I actually would rather do that instead of going to college. Can you imagine it? Going through France and Germany, Russia and Austria, living off of your back, your wits and oh I would love to! It would be the perfect experience for my novel but I'll never be able to do it. I wish I could. I wish more than anything that in this world we could choose what to do. I wish we didn't have to worry about money and everything. Why can't we just do it? You know how all those annoying celebrities say "You can do it!" Well duh they can do it, they have so much money. But people like us teenagers well it's not like we have a million dollars in our piggy bank under our bed._

_Nope it's in my sock drawer instead._

_Actually I'm broke. My dad could probably afford it… he's a history professor and has written many history theses and books and has given so many high and annoying speeches for annoying, pompous people. But I'm not one for charity. That's why I'm hoping that my book will be published. I mean so many of people who are under twenty and publish their books get boat loads of money no matter how terrible they are. I mean look at Eragon. _

_Well I have to go, ha that sounds like I'm actually talking to you. Wish I could. I hope you're doing your part for your promise. I'm still trying to do it (just letting you know, it doesn't mean that you have to go around grinning like a clown, you can still look like you want to murder someone but just… just don't get too down 'kay?)_

_Word for the Wise: You can wish all you want on every shooting star, you can toss a penny into every well, you can blow dandelion fuzz everywhere but unless you try, unless you stand up and do something about it, your dreams won't come true. To dream, you must also believe and to believe you must work. Work for your dreams. Work to touch the stars._

_Post Script: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (We're moving to my favorite books)_

The boy with the sea green eyes lay on his bed holding the letter up with one of his hands while the other one was under his head. His eyes were focused on trying to read the letter in front of him, his brain was working in over time to try and actually understand it. But he loved reading these letters.

Whoever, whatever girl was writing these had a gift. He had spent today looking at different girl walking around the school, trying to deduce which girl was writing them but he couldn't figure it out. He knew that none of the girls that he hang out with wrote these. They were too heartfelt for them. They were shallow bitches really. They couldn't come up with those words for the wise that she wrote at the end of every letter.

"Is that a new one?" The boy with the sea green eyes sat up quickly on his squeaking bed which groaned under his weight. His best friend, a boy with dark black eyes was sitting in the window, having climbed up from the fire escape. New York slums apartments were terrible in security.

"Yeah," the boy muttered, shoving the letter underneath his mattress.

"You going to let me read them ever?" His friend asked, slipping into his small room which smelled like cigarettes. The boy looked nervously at where he had placed the three other letters on his box which served as a nightstand. They were too special to him. She, whoever she was, was too special to him. He shook his head.

"Ah come on, what's so important about these letters anyway? I mean other than the fact that they actually got you into the library."

"Nothing… I just don't want you to read them," the boy argued.

"Whatever, whatever," his friend said. "Your mom back?" He asked. The boy shook his head and then leaned against the wall.

"What do you think about backpacking across Europe?" He asked.

"Europe? Really, do you even know where Europe is?" His friend asked, shaking his head.

"'Course I know where Europe is, everyone knows where Europe is," the sea green eyed boy lied. His friend laughed.

"I don't know it sounds cool, why?" He asked.

The boy shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. "It just sounded… exciting. Much better than college."

"That's true," his friend agreed, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. He offered one to the boy who accepted it and lit it with the lighter he kept under his mattress as well. If his mom saw it she'd have a cow. He tossed it to his friend.

The boy leaned back, his sleeves coming down on his arms. "Man, you got to stop that, what happened this time?" His best friend said, pointing at the scars on his arms.

The boy jerked up and pulled his sleeves down. "Nothing, nothing at all," the boy with the sea green eyes whispered.

_Sometimes weekends can be relaxing but honestly most of the times they're really Storms for me. I spend my time trying to watch my two twin step-brothers and trying to study for my college entrance exams (because I sadly won't be going backpacking across Europe). My step-mother spends most of her times with her friends… at bars or clubs or those places. And my step-brothers are terrors. But they're very cute terrors. Thankfully the worst that they've ever done is set the fire alarm off, they wanted to try my wax kit and accidently burned the paper. They're not the brightest tools in the tool box. So I guess it was nice to get back to school this Monday, I can actually hear myself think at least. Well as long no one answers questions too stupidly. (I mean honestly who thinks that Athens is in South Africa). _

_So the topic for today: pain._

_Why do you think we have to suffer? I mean honestly what's the point of having suffering in this world? Why do I have to have an evil (yes I am using that word correctly) step-mother? And why do you…because I bet you're going through trials as well… have to suffer whatever you're suffering through. Why does it have to hurt? I'm not a big one for pain. I don't like being hurt, I don't like hurting people. Why do we have to suffer when terrible people in the world (like celebrities and politicians, they are the worst!) why do they get nice things. But when I thought about it, I realized pain makes a stronger. It's like I said in my first words for the wise. It's when you get back up that you realize just how strong you were. Pain is weakness leaving the body. And I think that pain gives us experiences that we need. Experiences that make us love harder and trust more. I think pain is worth it. We may not like it at first. But in the end, every scar is a battle symbol. _

_I hope I'm not being too… preachy or something. I hope you're day is going well. I hope that you're staying strong. Thank you for listening to my rambling and everything. Most people think that I just need to shut up. But oh well. They can think that, and if you think it, then you can think it too._

_Words for the Wise: Every time I'm cut, every time I'm bruised, I know that I'm only getting stronger, it's only making me better. It's a badge I'll honor. Things can get worse but there's always a worst, there's always a rock bottom, always a hell. And once I've been there, that means I get to work my way up to the best, to the pinnacle, to the Heavens._

_Post Script-The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis_

The girl with tan skin looked at the letter in front of her. When she was satisfied with it she folded it up and slipped it into the envelope. She pulled out her wax and melted it right on the overlap and then stirred the crimson wax that she thought could quite possibly look like blood. When it began to harden, she pressed her seal over it and then smiled. Done.

"Bus is here!" her step-mother said, banging on her door. The girl made a face and then jumped up and grabbed her backpack and hurried out of the door, making sure that her letter was safely tucked into her pocket.

As she rode in the bus to school she clutched her backpack to her chest as she stared out at the moving cars. She wasn't an insecure girl, she just didn't want to open up to all these stupid people. She couldn't help it.

She moved her arm so that her bruises weren't visible.

Seventeen Weeks Later

The boy with the pale skin had never actually fallen in love with a girl. Most girls annoyed the living daylight out of him. But this girl that had written thirty letters, all of which he had kept, was slowly itching a way into his heart. And he had never met her before.

Was this normal? He wondered as he headed back to the library and searched for the book: Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, his mystery girl had a thing for C.S. Lewis and mangos and pomegranates and architecture and owls and peppermint icecream.

He pulled out the letter and opened it up, peeling off the wax:

_Do it for me. _

_Please whoever you are, whoever has been reading my letters. Please, please do it for me. Live for me. I'm moving. I'm moving back to California so I can't finish these letters anymore. I can't attend NYU or travel through Europe or do anything. My book is total trash. Or at least that's what the editor told me that I sent it to. I guess I should have suspected as much. It didn't have any intense sex scene or bad language every three words. So I guess it's not good enough. I mean I wasn't meaning to write the next Fifty Shades of Grey! It was supposed to be a young adult novel. But apparently it was terrible._

_So I'm breaking our promise. I can't do it anymore. But you can. Will you do it? Will you travel through Europe for me? Will you live your dream? Please. This is short and may sound sappy but gods, live for me. Please._

_Please._

_Words for the Wise: When your dreams are crushed it's like the world's falling down around. Like everything's shattering and you're left wondering will it ever be okay? Will you ever be strong again?_

_Post Script- None._

The boy stared at the letter in disbelief. So this was the end? Was this what it felt like to be dumped in a letter? Because he certainly felt dumped. But something in him was aflame. He would live, damn it he would live for her.

He tucked the envelope into his pocket and strode purposely out of the library.

Percy Jackson would live.


	2. When the Stars Start Falling

**So I actually didn't think anyone was going to read this story so that's why the first one was so bare in my author notes and everything. So here's a quick one and there'll be one at the end. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart! **

**Disclaimer: (Because I forgot it last time… oops) I'm not Rick Riordan, everything belongs to him. Really do you think I'm Rick Riordan or something? I mean my characters aren't even demigods! And I'm a girl… I'm just borrowing the characters. Then again if he wants to give them to me… **

Chapter When the Stars Start Falling

"Annie! Annie! Over here!" A young woman with short spiky jet black hair screeched as she jumped up and down in the airport. The people around her looked at her annoyed but she just rolled her eyes and continued jumping. In New York you didn't have time to worry about the hypocrites.

"Gods Thalia do you have to be any more embarrassing?" A woman said as she strolled up to her, a duffle bag in her hand and a laptop case around her shoulders. "I think most of New York could hear you."

"Annie!" Thalia screamed as she latched her arms around her best friend. "I can't believe you're finally here!"

"Enough with the Annie thing, please Thals," Annabeth Chase begged her. Thalia just gave her a wink and shrugged.

"Whatever you say."

"You're not going to stop are you?" Annabeth moaned. Thalia shook her head.

"Where would the fun be in that? Now can we go? I'm starving!" Thalia said, emphasizing on the word: starving.

"Good to know things never change," Annabeth said giving Thalia a smile. It was good to be back. After six years in California she was ready to get back to New York. She loved the bustle of the city, she loved the winter freezes, and the smells of food vendors in Time Square. She loved the bright lights and the sounds of people being awake even at midnight, it made her feel like she wasn't alone. Which was good because writers, she discovered, got very, very lonely.

"Ya, ya, ya, now can we _please_ go? There's this awesome Italian place on First that I'm just dying to go to and I know you love Italian," Thalia begged her. "The car's waiting out front for us."

Annabeth laughed, gods she hadn't laughed in a long time. "Yeah, let's go." She shouldered her bag, wincing as it touched the new bruises which had formed after her last visit to her father's house two days ago to tell them she was finally leaving. Her step-mother wasn't too happy about losing her best baby-sitter… who was also the cheapest at zero dollars and zero cents.

Annabeth had tried to tell her that the twins, Matthew and Bobby, were old enough to babysit themselves. Heck they were thirteen now. She was babysitting them at thirteen!

_No! No! Bad Annabeth! _She thought. She had left California to get away from complaining and groaning every second of the day. Not to complain and groan again. Which was something she found that she was extremely talented at.

"Whoa, Annie car's right here," Thalia said, grabbing her shoulder, she winced. Thankfully she hadn't grabbed her wrist. The bruises would have been seriously painful then.

Another plus about New York: You could wear long sleeves and no one would think you were weird, unlike in Cali where if you wore long sleeves people thought you had a disorder or something.

"Di immortals Thals! Where the heck did you get this car?" Annabeth asked, as she stared at wonder in the sleek grey car that was sitting in front of them. Annabeth looked at it closer and then tilted her head. "And isn't it parked illegally?" She had seen a security guard at the door of the airport. Why didn't he give her a ticket or something… not that she wanted Thalia to get a ticket. What sort of a friend would she be if she thought like that?

"Yeah… well I made sure to bring the slip of paper I snuck from Dad's office," Thalia said climbing into the car. Annabeth threw her dufflebag into the back seat and then gently set her laptop bag down. She climbed into the passenger seat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Dad? Since when did this development occur?" She asked as Thalia revved the engine and pulled out of the airport into the infamous New York traffic.

"You've missed a lot Annie, I'll tell you about it at the restaurant that is if these BLUNDERING BAFFOONS get off the road and let me drive!" She yelled out the window, honking her horn.

Annabeth shook her head trying to control her giggles. This was why she missed her best friend, for the laughs, for the tears, gods for everything.

Well except for the New York traffic… that was something she could go without.

* * *

"Cuz when the stars start falling

I'll be here calling your name, yeah your name

And I'll wish upon a penny

And toss it in the well

And shout your name, yeah your name.

Cuz it's written on my heart

And as we're pulling apart

It's tearing at my soul

As I say that you can go.

But Baby there's one thing that I know (one thing that I know)

If you love someone:

You gotta let 'em go."

~Percy Jackson, When the Stars Star Falling

_Words for the Wise: We all dream and I dream that I can call your name. I'll wish on every star when they start falling, I'll dream on every penny I toss into a well. But I know deep down every time I look at you, even though it's tearing at my soul, that when we finally have to pull apart, when I finally have to leave you. I know that I can't keep you here. You're destined for much greater things. There's one thing I know: Loving someone means letting them go._

"Bravo Mr. Johnson, spectacular as always," Mr. Hector Dionysus said leaning back in his chair in the boardroom at Olympian Records at the head of the table with a dozen other people all sitting around the table, watching the raven haired young man with intent eyes, awed by his voice.

"Ah… actually sir, it's Jackson," Percy Jackson said, as he nervously patted his guitar… he did that when he was nervous… which was usually.

"Whatever, whatever," Dionysus said as he stood up and walked to the cabinet of soda. Usually it would be filled with wine or beer or any type of liquor he wanted but after getting pulled over one too many times for DUI, the cops had decided it was best to ban him from any alcohol and if caught with any Mr. D would be in prison for a long time.

And that would look bad for him company.

"So how was the world tour? Great right? I mean you got all the adoring teenage girl fans who throw their shoes and other articles of clothes at you, you've got the wild after parties, you've got the good food and heck you've even got the parents on your side with your lyrics," Mr. D rambled on as Percy just absent mindedly nodded his head at whatever he said. Better to agree with Mr. D than to disagree. It was like a law of the trade.

"So then… what we need is a new record? I was –"

"Yes!" All the people around him said, all eager to get on their boss's good side… which side that was they had let to learn of course.

"Don't say yes until I've finished talking," Mr. D reprimanded. They all nodded and shrunk back into their chairs. Percy had a hard time controlling his laughter.

"As I was saying, a new record Parker James!" He said. "And pronto!"

"Um… it's Percy Jackson," he corrected again. His name wasn't that weird… was it? Why did he have to pick the one guy in all of New York City who could not remember his name to save his life?

"Whatever kid, anyway a new record. At least twelve new songs and make sure to include that last one, it will make everyone drool… but lose the guitar. We're not cowboys are we?"

"Yes!" Everyone shouted again. Mr. D shot them a threatening look.

"Don't say yes until I've finished talking!" He said. "Honestly it's hard to find good help these days," he muttered, sitting down in his seat with his diet coke. He took a sip and began absent mindedly plucking at his leopard print shirt.

He looked up. "Are you still here?" He asked. Percy jumped up, grabbing his guitar.

"Nope sir, I'm gone. I'll have Nico call your people to get the details figured out." If there was one thing Mr. D hated it was logistics.

Percy hurried out of the board room with his guitar. He grabbed his new i-phone from his pocket and dialed Nico's number. "What's up? How'd the meeting go?" A voice asked him.

"Fine, fine it went fine, we need a new record, at least eleven new songs. You know what that means right?" Percy asked, getting slightly excited.

Nico sighed. "Yeah, yeah of course I do. It means you're going back to the letters."

**So I know that this chapter is considerably shorter than the first one and that the writing style has somewhat changed but I wanted to first one to be deep, deep in a sense that it makes you almost want to cry. (Confession time! I cried when I wrote it. But there's a saying that goes: No laughs in the writer, no laughs in the reader, no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader). So this is really the beginning of the story. The title is subject to change of course. **

**Thank you so much for your reviews. I woke up this morning and nearly fell out of my chair when I saw it. I was expecting one or two maybe but five reviews! Ahh! AWESOME! I love you all even though I don't know you! I feel like Annabeth right now, typing to someone I don't even know. But hey that's what started this whole thing **

**One last note: Critic me on anything just not the song please. The song was written by me at 10 last night and I have no idea if it's good or bad. I know that you can't tell the rhythm or the beat so I guess if you really want to sing it you can make it up. And that's only about half of it but I needed a song that went with Annabeth's letters so this was what I came up with. Under each song I will post the W4W (words for the wise) that she gave Percy. **

**Chapter Three is up as well! Happy readings! I might get around to posting chapter four today as well. **


	3. No Inspiration

**Hey look! It's Chapter three! And guess what? I still don't own Percy Jackson! But then again… Rome wasn't built in a day ;) **

**Chapter Three No Inspiration **

"So this dad business," Annabeth said as she picked at her lasagna half-heartedly.

"You're not eating," Thalia said, pointing to Annabeth's half eaten food. She was busy with her penne rosa.

"I'm still stuffed from my six packets of mini pretzels," Annabeth said sarcastically. "And stop trying to change the subject!"

"What subject?" Thalia said, nervously laughing. "Oh yeah… the dad subject." Now she too wasn't too interested in eating her pasta. "Well about three years ago Jason and I got called to a Lawyer's Firm, some Johnson and Johnson, honestly why would you work with someone who has the same last name as you? That's just…weird."

"Thalia," Annabeth warned. "Stay focused."

"Right… anyway, Jason and I got there and there's this handsome guy in a pin stripe suit lounging in the lawyer's office… it was one of the Johnsons, I don't know which one. Honestly why do it?" Thalia's eyes got a bit glazed over as she looked past Annabeth, her eyes not focusing on anything in particular.

"Thals, stay with me," Annabeth said, snapping her fingers. _Memories can control us, they haunt us. But you have to learn to let go of the past. Let go of the Memories and just live. You can't fully live if you're living in the past. Man wasn't born to live in the past, but in the present. Hmm… nice one Annabeth. I like it._ She reached for a napkin and grabbed her ever present pen from her pocket and jotted the phrase down and then wadded the napkin into her pocket.

"Just think of another quote for your book?" Thalia asked, her electric blue eyes sparkling with delight.

"Yeah, just something I thought sounded good. Now finish your story! I'm not letting you off of the hook!" Annabeth said, staring at her best friend with her death glare which she was known for in highschool… and middle school… heck she even had it in elementary school. Her stormy grey eyes really pulled it off.

"Well… so the man there was Zeus," Thalia said. "And turns out he's my dad."

Annabeth's eyes opened so wide she thought that they would pop out. "What!" Annabeth squealed. Everyone in the restaurant glared at her. Being on the receiving end of a glare was very intimidating. She ducked her head. "What?" She asked quieter. "How did that happen?"

"Well you see Annie when two people are in love… or trying to fulfill the urge of lust in this case… they get together and the man…"

"Oh shut up Thalia! I don't need to have _that_ talk again! I already saw the damn movie! I mean how did your mom and Zeus, the Zeus, the owner of the biggest airports in the world and the biggest airplane company, get together?"

Thalia shifted in her seat nervously. "Well you know how my mom was into the whole TV show scene and everything? Apparently Zeus really likes the whole weepy, crying daft bimbos and fell head over heels for her. They got married, did _it_, had me, did it again, had Jason and then Zeus just left. I don't think he liked being tied down to one girl… especially a whiney annoying one."

It was no secret that Thalia resented her mother. In fact resent probably didn't cover it at all. It was something more than that. It was a burning anger at injustice. Everyone felt it at one time or another in their life.

"I guess I don't exactly blame him, I mean heck I would have gotten my ass out as fast as I could from _that _woman," Thalia muttered angrily as she stabbed at her pasta as if she wanted to kill it. Which from the looks of it, she did. "So Dad said he wanted to finally be a family… or what he defines as a 'family' which isn't the Webster Dictionary definition… more like maybe the Urban Dictionary. But he gave Jason and I a car, a boat load of money, a nice apartment and more money, so I guess it's nice."

"Wow Thals… I guess things have changed a lot," Annabeth commented as she took a bite of her lasagna. "Why didn't you write about this to me? Or email me?"

"I don't have your way with words Annie, can you imagine me writing a letter? I mean who does that anymore?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth shifted nervously in her seat. She did. Or at least she had written letters. Not exactly to anyone. She still thought about them almost every day. Did the person follow her instructions? Did they even remember those letters they found in their high school library? Maybe they threw them away once the last letter came, their source of laughter gone. Maybe the letters went around the school and everyone saw her heart bled on those sheets of paper with her pen.

Maybe.

Oh gods she was getting back to using that word again. She had to stop that. _Maybe is just an excuse. You can't have a maybe, you either have a yes or a no. Make up your mind. Are you going to or are you not? You can't run from your choices. At one point or another you have to decide. Let your yes be yes and your no be no as the good book says. _

"So how was California?" Thalia asked, leaning forward, eager to hear.

Annabeth shrugged. "Nothing special… just a bunch of sand and waves."

"But Annie… there's Disneyland!" Thalia said excitedly.

"Disneyland really isn't all that great after you've been going all the time. It's better every once and a while. Like the saying goes: Good things are good in moderation."

"Who says that? Whoever they are, they obviously had a terrible life," Thalia said, sticking her nose up in the air indignantly. "How's your book coming?"

Ah yes… the book. Her great work of literature, her heart and soul, her greatest accomplishment. Well it had yet to be those things. Heck it had yet to be written. "It's going fine…" She said.

"You haven't written anything yet have you?" Thalia said, seeing through her best friend.

"Not a word," Annabeth admitted.

"Annie, you can't let what that one guy said haunt you forever. You used to tell me not to dwell on the past, so don't dwell on it! Practice what you preach girl! I mean I thought that The Descent of Darkness was amazing. I loved it! And I was a teenager. That guy was fifty seven years old. Like he's going to have any judgment in the world of young adults."

"Thals... first of all it was a woman. Second of all she was forty seven not fifty seven. And third of all, they call her the muse of literature! I think she knows what she's talking about!" Annabeth argued.

"So what, one lady doesn't like it. I thought that Dmitri was absolutely dreamy," Thalia said. And then she gave Annabeth a sly look. "But Orion was delicious."

"Oh shut up Thalia," Annabeth laughed.

"What I have a thing for handsome villains, and gods Annie, he was amazing. I had a hard time deciding if I was rooting for Dmitri or Orion. I mean talk about a good love triangle," Thalia said. "I almost was tempted to make you kill Sera so that it was more likely that I got one of them."

"Thalia!" Annabeth laughed. "I loved Sera!" She argued.

"See there's the spirit!" Thalia said. "So how far are you along in your new book? I know there's something working in that brain of yours that never seems to sleep." She leaned over and tapped on Annabeth's skull.

"See that's the problem… I just can't think of anything. It's like all of my brilliance has disappeared."

"Come on Annie, I don't think genius just 'disappears' as you say unless you suffer from a really, really hard blow to the head which if you have, you haven't told me about." She looked suspiciously at Annabeth. "Did you suffer from a really, really hard blow to the head?"

"No Thalia, I just… I can't think," Annabeth said.

"Start with something small, something you know, something you really liked about your life. Go from there," Thalia suggested.

Maybe she was on to something. Something small… like a letter?

* * *

"Percy, honestly you have to get ready," Nico said as Percy sat on the floor of his massive bedroom, pieces of paper scattered around him. He had a glass of blue coke on the wooden floor next to him.

"Listen to this: _I want to be a legend. I want to do something that inspires someone, somewhere, that makes them think about something and that causes them to change the world. I want to be a legend. Even if it's only in the minds of one person. If I do, then I'll have fulfilled one of my dreams," _Percy said as he read from one of the letters.

He laid down on the cold wooden floor and stared at the letter. She had been talking about how she was worried that she would fail her Physics test. But then she went on to say that it sounded stupid, why care about something so little?

"She's a genius, you know that right?" Percy said thoughtfully. "I wish that I could have met her. Maybe if I had worked up the nerves I could have left her a letter. I could have met her, but I guess this is the next best thing. She's a legend to me." He smiled as he thought about her.

Was it normal to fall in love with a girl that he only knew from letters written six years ago? Was it possible to fall in love with words? Obviously it was. Because Percy was six feet deep in love.

"That's nice Perce, but honestly you have to get ready for the opening of Charlie's club, remember? You said that you'd go and sing a song," Nico said, reminding his best friend who seemed to still be living in the world of those letters.

Sometimes when it got bad like this Nico became tempted to burn the letters. But then he remembered that every song Percy had ever written was inspired by some line in those letters. So he guessed that he had to thank this mystery girl for something.

"Oh yeah… I nearly forgot," Percy said. He folded the letter and placed it back into the envelope. With the way that he handled those letters Nico sometimes wondered why he didn't wear gloves so that he didn't get fingerprints on them.

Percy cleaned all the letters up and then closed the box and stretched. "What would I do without you Nico?" He asked as he stood up.

"Die… or at least go insane," Nico grinned. Percy agreed, Nico had gone from his best friend to best friend and manager.

"So Charlie's new club right?" He asked, disappearing into his large closet which would make any girl in her right mind severely jealous.

"Yeah, it's at nine, there's going to be a lot of people there," Nico called. Percy let out a groan.

"Cameras?" He asked.

"Yep." Another groan.

"Press?"

"Yes Percy." An even louder groan.

"Why do I do these sort of things?" Percy asked.

"Because you need to keep your image up," Nico reminded him as a shirt went flying out of the closet and onto the bed.

"Yeah… my 'image,'" Percy snorted. "It's only my image, not who I really am. Everyone probably thinks that I'm a player and a massive jerk."

"But you are Percy," Nico reminded him.

Percy came out of the closet dressed in black pants, a leather jacket and a sea green shirt which went well with his eyes as his designer told him. "But I don't want to be," Percy whispered.

"What do you want to be then Percy?" Nico asked.

Percy pulled his shoes on and thought hard. "I want to be a legend, just like she said."

"Percy you are a legend. You have millions of girls at their feet, you even have parents on your side which no one and I mean NO ONE has done before. You are a legend."

"I'm only famous because of her words. That's not a legend. A legend changes people for the better, they inspire. I don't do any of those things."

"Oh come on Percy, think of all the girls that come up to you after shows and say how much you've changed their lives, how you've made them be a better person," Nico persisted. Percy knew that Nico hated it when he got into this funk. It made him scared.

That Percy would quit.

But Percy knew that he couldn't quit. Nope, he was in far too deep to quit. "They only say that to get close to me," Percy said. "I haven't done anything yet."

"Well you can think about something to do to change the world later, we have to go. Maybe you could plant a thousand trees in the Rainforest or something," Nico said disappearing out of the room. Percy snorted.

See people thought that that was what it meant to be a legend. Planting trees. How dumb. He bet that she would have a good idea. But she had to leave him with that last letter.

Percy never would have thought he'd be changed so much… by one letter.

**How was that? A bit longer right? Hope you liked it? Let me know. I really am starting to like the development of Annabeth and Percy. I know that they're not acting how they normally act… I mean they're not fighting any monsters or anything.**

**The novel that Thalia and Annabeth are discussing: The Descent of Darkness is actually my own that I wrote for NaNoWriMo. I actually am incredibly proud of it. If you want to find a link to read it, let me know and I'll give it on the next chapter. It's a Dystopian novel (which means something like the Hunger Games or Matched or Divergent [I love Divergent and the Hunger Games! Not matched thought… ick]) **

**So maybe I'll get around to posting another chapter. I want to have as much as possible before I go back to school and to the grind… ick, ick, ick. As well as basketball. Which speaking of basketball I have a game tomorrow… wish me luck! Happy Sunday!**


	4. The Letter Writer

**Look at me go! Three Chapters in one day! Whoohoo! I want to give you all something to read while I'm busy so here you go! No Percy in this one. Sorry guys. Just Annabeth. But Percy will definitely be in the next one! I love him too much to forget about him!**

**Don't own, never will. This is one dream that won't come true no matter how many times I wish on a shooting star.**

Chapter Four The Letter Writer

"Di immortals Annie! You're place is smaller than my bedroom!" Thalia exclaimed as she pushed open the door to Annabeth's new loft without even knocking. She put down the present and put her hands on her hips looking around.

"Thalia!" Annabeth squealed from her small alcove where her small mattress had been stuffed. "I'm not all the way dressed!" She knew Thalia couldn't see her but she nervously grabbed a sweater and pressed it against her chest even though she was wearing a camisole.

"Really Annie, you think I care? I'm a girl, you're a girl. I don't think you have anything I don't. Well except-"

"Thalia I don't need to know!" Annabeth screeched, cutting her best friend off. Thalia gave her a funny smile as she sat down on the small, rundown couch Annabeth had managed to push into the corner of her loft.

Annabeth pulled on her sweater over her tank top and then climbed down the small ladder which was built into the wall. "How the heck did you even get in here in the first place?" She asked.

"You forgot to lock your doors, which you don't do in New York Annie, you'd think you'd remember that little detail. You never know who could come knocking at the weird hours of the night when you're up late," Thalia said suggestively raising an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Oh drat, I did forget about that," Annabeth muttered. "I knew I forgot something." She reached up and pulled her messy blond curls up into a bun with the stray ponytail that was always on her wrist.

"Well don't worry, you lived to tell the tale. But seriously what the heck! Why is your house so small!" Thalia demanded.

"First of all Thals, it's not a house, it's a loft. Second of all not all of us are trust fund kids and can live in penthouses that are worth millions," Annabeth huffed. "And it looks bigger… when it's cleaned."

"You mean when there's not a bunch of random books lying all over the place," Thalia criticized as she picked up a random book and examined it. "A Picture of Dorian Gray? Who reads this stuff?" She asked looking at the dark background with a raised eyebrow.

"I do!" Annabeth said defensively as she snatched the book away and placed it on her desk which was just as bad as her coffee table. Books were piled everywhere. They were overflowing from the bookshelves, peeking out under couches, on top of the small television. She had only been here two days and her books were already overtaking her life.

But she like it that way.

"What are you doing here anyway Thalia? I mean other than criticizing my decorating skills?" Annabeth questioned.

"Annie, honey, you can't call it decorating when you just randomly pile books everywhere," Thalia grinned. "And I came with a Welcome to the Neighborhood gift!" She said pointing at the brightly colored present on the table.

"Thals you don't even live in my neighborhood," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. Thalia lived in one of the high end apartments in New York: Hestia's Hearth. Annabeth had stayed with her and her brother Jason for two weeks while she hunted for an apartment. The apartment she found was a bit on the smaller side and was run down but with a bit of TLC… which Annabeth didn't have at all… it would be livable. Or at least that's what the man who ran the apartments, Janus, had told her.

Annabeth loved the little loft though, it was the perfect area for an aspiring writer, she had decided. Small and compact. Which made it easier to clean. She actually was a neatfreak… when it came to the important things. But she could never keep her books organized or her desk clear of papers no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh whatever, minor details," Thalia said waving her hands in the air. "Will you open it all ready?" She asked, grinning and bouncing up and down.

"Careful with your bouncing Thals, the couch is old and it could break at any moment," Annabeth said without looking up from the books she was stacking up in what she hoped looked like an organized fashion.

Thalia stopped bouncing.

"Will you open the present already? Please Annie?" Annabeth sighed.

"Give me," she said, holding out her hands. Thalia grinned and handed her the bag over filling with wrapping paper. Annabeth took it and carefully pulled the wrapping paper out. Maybe she could reuse it, she didn't have that much money to spare on wrapping paper.

Annabeth pulled out a bundle of movies. She laughed. Only Thalia would give her movies. She always claimed that movies were better than books anyway.

"They're all your favorites! But in movie form which makes them so much better!" She said eagerly. "Jason and I had a blast trying to find them all."

"How many are there?" She asked, sorting through them.

"About twenty, but really we have money to spare. Why not use it on my best friend?" Thalia asked. Annabeth gave her a hug.

"You're amazing!" She said. "And now I don't have the twins to ruin them all." She looked at the first one which was the Phantom of the Opera, one of her favorite books and musicals of all time. Underneath that was Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, and Howl's Moving Castle, one of her favorite movies based off of one of her favorite books she read when she was a kid.

"And we can watch them together!" Thalia said.

"I don't get you Thals, you'll watch the movies but you won't even touch the books," Annabeth said.

Thalia shrugged. "I read Harry Potter for you," she argued. "I even went with you to the Midnight release of the last one. I felt like such a nerd," she muttered.

"Thanks," Annabeth said. "So why are you really here? Other than to give me a boat load of movies and complain about the size of my loft," Annabeth asked as she curled up in her rocking chair which she had found at a Thrift Store. Thrift Stores were very helpful for girls in her case. Girls who needed a job.

Badly.

"I was wondering if you'd go to a party with me next week. I thought I should tell you know so that you have time to plan," Thalia said eagerly.

"A party? Come on Thals, I hate parties and you know it," Annabeth said, holding her shabby pillow to her chest. Parties meant people and people meant annoying, pointless chatter where people didn't care about the words they used. It annoyed her. Why couldn't people care? Parties meant people just fulfilling their pleasures.

_Hmm, decent alliteration Annabeth, good job_ she thought to herself. She'd have to write that one down.

"Come on Annabeth, for me." Oh great, she was using the Annabeth card, she only called her Annabeth when she wanted something. "There'll be all these people from highschool there!"

"And that will make it _so_ much better," Annabeth said, rolling her stormy grey eyes. Honestly she wanted to forget all about highschool, not relive it all.

"Please Annabeth," Thalia begged. "It will be good experience for your book."

Ah yes, her book. Annabeth looked out of the corner of her eye to her laptop, still in the same place where she left it last night after continually banging her head against the keys. Her book was driving her insane. It wasn't just writer's block. It was writer's run into a cement wall. Her characters weren't working for her, they seemed just as deep as the piece of paper she worked on. Which wasn't very deep at all. Her villain was shallow and had no depth which was something Annabeth strongly believed against. Her hero was weak and she couldn't stand her main female role. She made Annabeth cringe every time she spoke. And she was the one _writing _her. Imagine what the people who read about her would think.

She'd be a laughing stalk.

She'd be the new Stephanie Meyers, god forbid that to happen.

She was willing to try anything to not be thrown into that boat. Anything. Her book would not become like Twilight.

"Fine," she sighed.

"Great, I'll email you the details," Thalia squealed. "Now where's your bathroom, I had a 20 ounce Carmel Mocha Frappe before coming here."

Annabeth pointed to her kitchen where the bathroom was nestled in the corner, barely big enough for a shower, toilet and sink. She didn't even think that it was physically possible to fit all those pieces into one bathroom.

Thalia stood up, stretched and then sauntered in, making comments about the size of her loft. When she entered into the bathroom, Annabeth heard her let out a groan. "Annie do you seriously have a stack of books in your bathroom?" Thalia yelled.

Annabeth grinned.

Annabeth sat down at her laptop with a steaming mug of Spiced Tea. She had finally kicked Thalia out after agreeing to watch Beauty and the Beast with her (Annabeth's favorite Disney movie) and that led to them watching the Lion King (Thalia's favorite).

She opened her laptop up and powered in on. She sat there for a moment drumming her fingertips on the wooden desk, trying to think. Thalia's words a few weeks ago had given her idea, something to distract her from her novel yet still keep her writing. She better start it now.

_W4W: Putting something off only makes it worse, you think it makes it better but in reality you're only hurting yourself. So tell someone you love them, kiss the girl of your dreams, go and travel the world. Or else you'll spend your whole life wondering about what could have been. _

She logged onto Writer's Workshop, a website which allowed aspiring authors to publish their books, their poetry, plays, songs, anything and other writers could read it and critique it. She had been working on the website since she was fourteen and she had gained minor fame on the internet for her stories and her poetry.

**WiseGirl36****_. _**The girl who seemed to always have witty phrases, quotes to live by, and stories that made you cry. Or at least that was what one of her "fans" said about her. Annabeth snorted. They would all be so disappointed if they could see her now, banging her head against her keyboard. Why was it so damn hard to write?

_Deep breathes Annabeth, deep breathes. Freaking out will only get you one step closer to a heart attack and grey hairs_ she warned herself.

Annabeth clicked the link to publish a new story. She took a deep breath again and then typed in her title for her new story: The Letter Writer.

She thought for a minute before writing her synopsis. _A lonely girl leaves letters in her school's library books, hoping that someone will hear her with a voice she never thought she had. A boy finds them and begins to fall in love with the mysterious girl behind the ink and paper. But then the letters all of a sudden stop. And he can't help but wonder what happened to her. So begins a journey of love, passions, words, music, pain, beauty, truth, and letters as the boy tries to discover the mysteries and the magic behind the Letter Writer. _

Annabeth nodded to herself. Sometimes the best things to write about were the things closest to home. She clicked on the button for the first chapter. She thought for another moment. Thinking was good, planning was good, randomly spewing words on a piece of paper was bad. She learned that very early. You lost interest that way.

_The girl stood in front of the library book shelves which seemed bigger now, a letter clutched in her hands…_

She woke up with the sun. Jerking up from where she was laying, her cheek now imprinted with fresh markings of the keyboard, she rubbed her eyes. She must have fallen asleep while typing. It wasn't something new or anything. She did it quite often when she was trying to type. Her tea was cold. Yep she'd fallen asleep.

Yawning, Annabeth looked at her computer which was on its sleep monitor. She clicked a button and it woke up. Her screen popped up with the home page for her new story she had published: The Letter Writer.

She nearly fell out of her seat.

1,000 views in six hours, 344 reviews, 478 favorites, and 394 follows. All in six hours. She nearly screamed. Annabeth knew that people followed her but she had no idea this many people would read her story.

She squealed as she clicked on the reviews and began to read them all. To her reviews were like trophies, each one another trophy for her bookshelf. Of course there were all the flames and everything. But that came with the territory of being a writer.

One caught her eye from a certain: **GreenEyes&BlueCoke**: **Your words seem to haunt me as I read them. There's passion behind each word and it captivates me. Your writing is familiar, your story is familiar. I feel like I already know you. I want to read more, I need to read more.**

And that was all.

They found her story familiar? Who were they?

**Dun, dun, dun, dun, DUN! And so she begins to write a new story about letters. Who do you think GreenEyes&BlueCoke is? If you don't know I pity you sad strange little people. Is it just me or does anyone else really, really want to live in Annabeth's flat. I think it's so charming. And the books everywhere I kind of designed after my room. I have too many. Way too many. Thalia's growing on me and I just adore Annabeth. Sorry there wasn't any Percy. I wanted this chapter to be situated around Annabeth. **

**Oh and the party is ****_very_**** important! So what do you think? Yay? Nay? Throw it away? (haha I'm a poet and I didn't even know) Tell me what you think. I know that these updates came quick but they'll be coming slower now.**

**Any ideas for a title for the book? I like Heart by Heart but I don't think it fits. It's based off of a song Heart by Heart by Demi Lovato for the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones soundtrack. Go look it up! It is AMAZING! Love it! (Anyone seen that movie? Anyone in love with Jamie Campbell Bower? Me!)**

**Have a good week at school… if it's even possible.**

**~Luna-Incendia14 **

**Post Script- the link for my book the Descent of Darkness's first part in on my page. It's a link to my goodreads account. If you have an account FRIEND ME! And let me know you read this story! **


	5. WiseGirl36

**Salve mea amici! (That's Latin by the way! I've been taking Latin since I was in fifth grade and I'm somewhat fluent… okay so maybe not that much. But I can understand everything they say in Percy Jackson in Latin! Does that mean I'm a demigod? Please say yes!) **

**Still working on the rights to Percy Jackson but I don't think it's gonna happen. So disclaimer again. I don't own it. But past that. On with the story!**

**Chapter Five WiseGirl36**

Contrary to popular belief Percy actually liked to read.

Somehow, for some weird reason, all of his fans had gotten the idea that he didn't like it at all, that fact always got Percy confused. Did having Dyslexia mean that you automatically hated reading? Because he didn't. Books were like music, a well written book spoke to people just like a well played song spoke to you. He found them similar.

Music and Words. Hence why he went into song writing. They seemed to fit well together. And he had so many words stuck in his brain from those letters.

Sometimes he would wonder what would have happened to him if he had never read those letters, if he never knew that somewhere there was a girl fighting just as hard as he was to keep her chin up, to not disappoint everyone, who felt the world on their shoulder.

W4W: _The World hurts. Especially when it's all on your shoulders. So why not let someone else take the burden every once and a while. There are people that will. Or maybe they'll even carry you while you're carrying the weight of the world. Those are the people who love you. So love them back. Let them help you. Fight together, not apart._

When he was traveling through Europe with Nico after they got out of highschool, a man in Rome taught him how to play the guitar. And from then on he played and played until his fingers bled from the blisters and calluses that came with the territory. And then he started humming. Humming along to the songs he played, little ditties that he had made up. And then, he wrote. He wrote down the words that had been haunting him ever since he had graduated from Goode High.

Yes he had actually graduated. After that first letter, he decided that maybe a good education could do something for you. Maybe.

The first song, Weight of the Worlds, came out later that year. He had recorded it in a small record shop in Poland, sitting on a stool, strumming his guitar while Nico filmed it with his flip phone and all the Polish people smiled and nodded their heads to the music as if they knew what he was saying. And maybe they did.

Music seemed to connect people in ways that the words couldn't.

When the Weight of the Worlds went viral, it was an overnight sensation. Percy was given a one way, first class ticket to New York to meet with Olympian Records. They couldn't wait to get their hands on the boy who apparent made girls faint in their living rooms while watching the video. (There was actually a video and news report about this as Percy later found out).

He went from a boy backpacking across Europe to a worldwide sensation, concerts were sold out, records reached platinum, his songs hit number one on all the charts.

And he owed it all to her. To the girl with the pen that wrote those letters to him.

If she hadn't… well he'd still probably have fresh scars on his arms and cigarettes in his back pocket and his mom worrying if he'd even make it home at night.

Now she didn't have to worry, Sally Jackson was living in a beautiful apartment with her new boyfriend, Paul Bolfis who Percy approved of, even though it wasn't his dad.

But all that went to say, Percy liked reading. There was no doubt about it. He'd even write some things himself, even though he was a terrible writer except with his song lyrics, and even then they weren't fully his.

But it led him to Writer's Workshop, a large website devoted to people who dreamed about writing as they sat at their computers, typing away at different worlds. It almost gave Percy chills to think just how many undiscovered worlds were in that computer.

Reaching for his blue coke which was always at his elbow, he logged onto his account, **GreenEyes&BlueCoke**, cliché he knew, but it worked. No one would suspect the great Percy Jackson, the international sensation to be on Writer's Workshop. After all, he seemed too cool to write. But he liked the website, he liked reading all the stories.

There was a new alert. One girl was breaking records left and right and through the window with one of her stories, in only a few hours she had at least a thousand views. The website called her their magic maker, one of the best writers of their time. Curious Percy clicked on the name: **WiseGirl36**.

For her user picture it showed a picture of a girl, a piece of paper pressed against the glass of the window, her face unrecognizable, the sunlight pouring over her (Percy didn't think it was cliché like his name was cliché, it was pure, simple and beautiful… oh gods did he really just say beautiful? He never used that word). She was scrawling something down with a piece of paper. The caption read: A Writer at Work, Oblivious to Any Life but the One She's Writing. It was a long caption but Percy guessed that it fit the picture.

The new story was called: The Letter Writer and the premise of it struck him as incredibly familiar. He opened up to the first page and began to read:

_The girl stood in front of the library book shelves which seemed bigger now, a letter clutched in her hand. No one thought it was strange after all, the girl was frequent in the library at her highschool. But this time it was different. This time she was clutching the letter in her hands. Clutching the letter so tight that it was slightly crumpling in her small fist. But no one noticed. _

_After all why would they? Why would they care what she was going through? It's not as if they knew about it, it's not as if they could tell. If they really knew what was whirling through the girl's mind then they'd be crying and fawning over her. _

_She didn't want them to treat her like she was a dead girl walking. _

_The wax from the envelope was slowly melting from the pressure as she looked at the books, dying it red. It was now or never, she told herself. If she didn't do it now, she wouldn't work up her courage to do it again. Her hands shaking she pulled out the book she had decided on. An old book about the Revolutionary War which she had used a few weeks ago for a research paper. _

_It was fitting for two reasons. The first was that she felt like she was rebelling, rebelling against the stereotypes in life, like the fact that her parents thought she would break every moment of the day. The second was that it was the book she had been reading in the Waiting Room that day… the day when she found out._

_Opening the book to the middle, she gently slipped the letter into place and then closed it softly and pushed it back into its spot. She turned on her heels, anxious to get out of the library before she changed her mind and snatched the envelope back._

_The girl had decided to do it when she realized that she didn't have that much longer. Cancer did that to you. It ruined all the plans you had for your life, she found out. Especially when it was terminal and you weren't expected to have that much longer to live. Only four years at max. Not even enough time to finish college. _

_It was strange, she thought, knowing that you were nearing death. It was as if someone had put a counter, a timer on her life. And each day it ticked, closer and closer, lower and lower to that dreaded zero. But she wasn't scared of Death. No she was scared that no one would miss her. That no one would care if she died._

_She had many friends, she had a boyfriend that cared about her, that loved her, and two parents that at least were willing to spend money on her, but were they going to cry their hearts out when she was gone, were they going to scream at God and ask why he took her away, were they going to bang their head against her coffin, begging to just wake up like she'd read in a book. Were they going to pinch themselves and try to convince themselves that it was only a dream?_

_Or would they cry a little and then move on? Forget all about her?_

_So she wrote the letter and placed it in the envelope, sealed is shut and placed it in a book. Maybe someone would find it and read it, maybe they would care. She could only hope, all she had was hope. She had never been too loud before. Always quiet, always going with the flow, always in the background. She wasn't popular but she wasn't hated. She was just there._

_Just another student in high school._

_But she didn't want to be just another student. She wanted to be _**_someone_**_. _

_And now she wouldn't have time to be loud. Time was one thing that could never, ever be on her side. Her time was running out, it was draining faster and faster. And that letter…_

_Well that letter was her last hope._

Percy sat back in his chair. Who wrote like this? He was numb as he read the words again, slower as if to make certain that he didn't miss anything. He didn't want to. No wonder she was breaking records all over the place. This book wasn't about sex or drugs, he could already tell. It wasn't about vampires and werewolves. It was about _life._ It was raw, it was emotional, and it was passion. It was fire. It was change. Why couldn't people write like this anymore?

He clicked on the next arrow to go to the next chapter. Percy leaned back in his chair and began to read again.

_The boy found it._

_He didn't mean to really. _

_It was part of his detention for spitting gum at one of the teachers while his back was turned, it was the one with the mustache who couldn't clean the dried up spittle from all of his yelling, the one who taught his pre-calc class, which he was retaking… again. And so he was on "community service" or whatever the principal called it. He really couldn't get kicked out of the school, not with his father being one of the biggest bigwigs in the city. And also a large donor to the school._

_So he had to put the books back where they belonged which was tedious and annoying. He didn't want to spend any more time in the library than he had to. He'd lose his reputation which he had worked so hard to earn. _

_It was while he was in the history section that one of the old books on the Revolutionary War had fallen out onto the floor. When he went to pick it up he noticed something white sticking out of the pages. Needless to say, he was curious. All boys were after all._

_It was a letter._

_He thought that letters didn't exist anymore. Why write a letter when you could text or email faster than you could pull out a sheet of paper and pen? But he opened it anyway. It was addressed to him anyway: To Who it May Concern. And this letter concerned him._

_Or else it wouldn't have fallen out onto the floor._

_It was fate. Or whatever those sappy romance novels his sister read called it._

Dear Sir, Madam, or Otherwise,

I don't know why I'm doing this.

I honestly don't.

Maybe it's because I had to get out of the house and away from my mother who keeps looking at me like she'll cry or something every time she sees me, or like I'm going to break every time I sneeze or say I'm tired. Honestly I'm not that weak yet. But I'm getting there… or at least that's what the doctors told me.

I'm writing this letter so that I can use my voice, I've always had a fondness for words but I'm a gods awful writer. But I want to share, hopefully with someone who cares, all the words that have been haunting my mind and I'm sorry but you'll have to bear with my writing ability. I'm not one to speak up in class, or use my voice, so I decided I might as well use pen and paper. And no before you ask, I'm not mute.

I just have cancer.

Wow. Reality really hits you when you see those words written on a page. I have cancer. It's in my Thyroid, or more it started there, but it's spreading and they can't exactly chop off my head like they can a leg can they? Oh and it's terminal. I have at least four more years to live… at the most. At the least… two. And if you do the math, at the middle would mean three. Haha… okay so maybe it's not funny to laugh about Death. I thought it was funny. But what do I care?

I'm dying anyway.

I'm ready to go.

Once I finish these letters that is. I don't want to leave anything undone.

Want to know a secret? I'm not scared. I mean I know it'll be painful, but I'm not scared of the pain. I'm trying to tell myself it's just going to be a new adventure. And I'm sick of the one I'm in right now. The one where I'm the perfect daughter whose parents only started noticing her once they heard that she was going to die, perfect student, friend, and girlfriend of course. And guess what? You, out of all those people, are the first to know. Well other than my parents of course, they were in the doctor's room.

So what are you going to do with this letter? Are you going to laugh? Throw it away? Or are you going to keep it? I challenge you. Keep it. Every time you look at it, think of it as a promise to me. We'll both fight, because I know that everyone has some fight they're trying to win. If you stay strong, I won't give up.

I promise.

Thoughts for the Humble: Death is not the end. Life is not the beginning. It's all one story that we live through. We may not know it yet, but there are adventures we have come from, and adventures we will go to.

P.S. You'll find the next letter in The Complete Works of Flannery O'Connor.

_The boy looked at the letter as if it was written in foreign words, numbness seeping through his body. What was this? Was it a joke? Who would leave something like this? Surely it was a joke. No. No. No one would write something like this without meaning it. _

_There was someone in this school dying._

_And no one but he knew it._

_Carefully placing the letter back into the envelope, not wanting to ruin it, he slipping it into his pocket and turned around. He left the library that day without finishing his job. Sorting books seemed too menial when there was a girl out there, dying _**_right now._**

Percy didn't want to stop.

But Nico interrupted him.

"What are you reading?" Nico asked, coming in from the elevator which led right into his apartment. He was jingling his keys and whistling while he walked. "I hope it's the new lyrics you're writing," he hinted. Percy shook his head.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced. "I'll be back later." He grabbed his coat and his phone and hurried out the door, goosebumps still rising on his skin.

Outside he could think. Outside he could hear himself. He was still numb from reading that story. Yes the Percy Jackson brought to shock by a story on the computer. Another thing you didn't see every day. But he couldn't help it.

The whole story that this **WiseGirl36** was writing, it was his story! Well not the cancer part, but the letters, the promise to live, there was even a section called Thoughts for the Humble, which was so similar to Words for the Wise, something he had grown to miss.

Could she be the girl that he had met by reading her story in her letters? He snorted. That was an utterly stupid idea. He was just jumping to conclusions. It was probably some old sap sitting at her computer typing away frivolous words.

After all fate and destiny really didn't exist in the bustle of New York City.

**Percy's kinda oblivious isn't he? Then again it would be major destiny if it was actually the girl who left the letters you found six years ago. What do you think? Did you like my story inside my story? Sorry that it took so long to update… okay so it wasn't ****_that_**** long. I had two back to back basketball games (in case you're wondering I had one game with 13 points and 22 rebounds whoot whoot!) So Wednesdays are my best days to update. Chapter Six is done and will be posted soon. Don't you worry my darlings.**

**So tell me what you think did you like it? Message me any concerns or anything, or if you just want to chat. Cuz I can chat (as you probably already know). I don't know who I'm writing to out there, but I'm hoping it's changing you, I hope it's inspiring you to dream, to believe, to love, to realize you never know when you'll change someone's life. That's the point of this whole story. I'm hoping maybe I'll become a Legend, even if it's just in one person's eyes. I'm hoping that someone's listening. Or maybe you are laughing at this. Oh gods I feel like Annabeth right now. **

**But I'm taking this chance.**

**Have a wonderful night! And day! And week! And month and whatever!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Please review! You make my day when you do! Can I have Five New Reviews before Chapter 6 goes up?**


	6. Chairs and Stares

**So I went online at school today when I was supposed to be working on my rhetoric paper (ha! As if that's going to happen!) and I saw so many lovely reviews and favorites and visits! So true to my words, here is chapter six of Heart by Heart. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Like always. I don't own. Ego non habeo Perseum Jacksonum, sed ego volo habere Perseum Jacksonum. (Don't try and translate that on Google Translate. I did that out of my own head and let me tell you Google Translate won't translate it right). **

Chapter Six Chairs and Stares

The bell rang above the door, signaling her arrival into the shop that smelled like the three things she loved most in life: books, coffee, and tea. Annabeth stepped into the small shop that was crammed between two large financial buildings that towered above the small shop like two giants.

When she went for her morning runs she had spotted the quirky building, with its crooked frame which caused it to lean haphazardly to one side and it's bright purple and blue paint job. But that wasn't what caught her attention. No, it was the grass. Real grass in the middle of New York City. Annabeth had to backtrack to make sure she was actually seeing right and not just high on coffee fumes.

But it was real. And it made her smile.

So she had called the book store for an interview for a job position, there was a sign in the front that said HELP WANTED and Annabeth definitely needed a job. So where else should she look but a bookstore? It was better than working at a Diner as a waitress or doing some boring job like being a secretary for some big shot CEO.

No she wanted to work somewhere she loved, where she wouldn't mind having to go into work every day. And there was no better place than a bookstore where she'd be surrounded by words, by thoughts, by ideas of other writers throughout the years. The very thought sent shivers down her spine.

The inside was covered in books. It reminded her of her own living room. It instantly made her feel at home. There was an old spiral staircase in the back that probably creaked whenever anyone stepped on it which wound up to what Annabeth hoped was another level of books.

A lady in what appeared to be her early forties was sitting at the front counter, a book in hand. She didn't even look up when Annabeth approached. She stood there awkwardly, rocking back and forth on her heals, clutching her folder which held her very pitiful résumé in her hands. The lady didn't look up.

She cleared her throat.

The lady didn't look up.

"Um?" Annabeth began.

She still didn't look up.

"Ma'am."

No eyes noticeable at all.

"I'm here for the job," Annabeth finally said. At this the lady sighed and looked up at Annabeth, snapping close her book. Annabeth nearly jumped back at the heavy snap.

"Yes, no one else would stand there so awkwardly with a folder clutched in her hands like that," the lady said. She looked at Annabeth fully and Annabeth made a gasping noise in shock. "Well what is it?" The lady asked.

"Your… your eyes!" Annabeth said, her voice shaking.

"Yes what about them? They're eyes, they're old but they still do their job perfectly. As far as I'm concerned you see eyes every day," the lady said, rolling her eyes.

"But… but they're grey!" Annabeth said. And they were, startling grey like thunderstorms rolling in over a city, like waves angry and crashing against the rocks, like storms devouring ships and sailors in one foul swoop. They would terrify anyone who looked at them.

Except for Annabeth.

Because, they were her eyes.

"Yes they're grey. I'm sure at least ten percent of the population has grey eyes as well, just like you do. Now are there anymore problems or stupid exclamations?" The woman asked snippily. "I'd like to get this job interview done while there's not a large crowd of people in the shop."

"No… no ma'am," Annabeth said, still stumbling to make out full sentences. "I… I brought my résumé," she said, promptly holding out the folder which was wrinkled and had sweat stains on it. The woman looked at it disdainfully.

"Lovely," she said, standing up and holding it with a forefinger and thumb. Annabeth cringed inside, so much for looking professional. "Malcolm!" The woman called. "Come watch the front counter!"

A boy about Annabeth's age sauntered into view, holding a stack of books. "Aye, aye, Captain!" He said, placing the books down and saluting the woman. "This the new girl?" He asked, nodding towards Annabeth.

"Might be," the woman said casually as she rifled through Annabeth's papers.

"Well good luck, and don't let the eyes scare you. You get used to them," he said, flashing Annabeth a grin. It was only then that she noticed he too had grey eyes but they were softer and bordering closer on blue.

"Don't just stand there, follow me to the back room," the woman said, walking away from the duo. Annabeth looked nervously at Malcolm who gave her an encouraging nod. Annabeth held her head high, something that she was known for doing in the face of a nerve wracking situation and followed her.

_Word for the Wise: When I get nervous I realize that the only way to get rid of my fear is to face it head on, it's to walk into the den of lions, it's to dance on a tightrope between two buildings, it's to stand up for what I believe in even if I won't be popular. It's to live my way, not someone else's way. It's to smile in the face of adversity, to hold my head up high and never, ever back down. That is how I get rid of my nerves: to pretend as if they don't exist._

The Words for the Wise which she had written in her letter weren't something that she had begun just for those letters. Ever since her seventh grade teacher told her she had so many insightful things to say, Annabeth began writing them down. She now had a beautiful stash of Words for the Wise. Some people might talk to themselves when they were nervous. Annabeth wrote to herself. When she was having a bad day, she'd pull one of the note cards out and read it.

She had stopped writing them after she had to move back to California. Why write something to cheer you up when you already know that you won't be happy? It seemed kind of pointless. But she started back up again when she went to college. Yes she went to college, she got accepted into UCLA. It wasn't her first choice but it worked. She was planning on going to NYU once she got enough money and try and earn her Masters in Language Arts and her minor in Creative Writing.

"Sit down," the lady said waving her hand at any number of chairs in the office. All of them were different, some were straight backs, others were cushioned, there were a few rocking chairs and some swivel chairs as well. All and all there were about nine chairs. The lady sat down in a straight back chair at a desk and set the file down. Annabeth chose the other straight back chair. She knew that if she sat in the rocking chair she'd rock which would probably annoy the lady with the intense grey eyes and in the swivel chair she'd be spinning left and right and through the window (she couldn't help it, she had a weakness for swivel chairs).

"Interesting choice," the woman said, tapping her pen on the desk. "Why didn't you choose a more comfortable chair?"

What kind of a question was that? Who asked about your choice in chairs? Honestly. "I didn't want to be distracted," Annabeth answered truthfully. Gods that sounded dumb.

The lady smiled.

A real genuine smile. Okay so maybe a half smile, one of the corner of her lips quirked upwards, but still! It counted for something right? But just as surprisingly as it was there, it was gone. She was back to staring straight at Annabeth with those stormy eyes. Annabeth wanted to cower under the chair. Was this what it felt like when she glared? "So your name is Annabeth Christine Chase?"

"Yes." She'd always loved her name. Except when people found out her initials and began to go around calling her Acc, which they said like Ack.

"And you want a job here."

_That's why I'm here, braving your death glares isn't it?_ Annabeth thought to herself, but she kept it in. She had mastered the skill of the poker face (which let her win a lot in poker when she played with some of her college buddies in the dorms) and she looked at the woman straight in the eyes. "Yes."

"It says here that you went to UCLA in California and you majored in Language Arts and minored in Creative Writing as well as taking Ancient Greek and a full course on Architecture, quite the brain child are you?"

What was that supposed to mean? "Yes ma'am, I like to learn and those are what interest me."

"So you do what interest you, not what you think will make you a lot of money?" The woman asked her. Annabeth shrugged.

"I discovered earlier in my life that I'd rather do something I love and not earn a lot of money than by stuck working a boring job. I wanted to have a point in my life so even though my majoring in Language Arts won't probably get me a six figure job, I'll at least know that I spent those years of my life working towards something I love."

"You do realize that with that way of thinking you're in for a very hard life?"

Annabeth shrugged again. "It'd be a very hard life if I was doing something I didn't love anyway."

"Why did you want to major in Language Arts?" The woman asked.

"I want to be a writer," Annabeth said, her cheeks turning crimson as she admitted it.

"Have you had anything published?"

"No… I did try and publish a book once but the publisher and editor turned it down."

"But you're still writing?"

"Of course, writing isn't something you give up. It's something that lives inside of me, it's like riding a bike. Once you have it, you can always start writing again. And there's always something itching inside of me to write." She stopped talking before she embarrassed herself even more with all of her rattling on and on about words.

"Four more questions." Annabeth looked at her confused. So few questions? And most of them weren't about her experience, like the fact that she next to none. They were mostly about random things, like her writing. What did her writing have to do with working at a bookstore?

"Question one: what is your favorite book?" Annabeth grinned, there was no question to this one.

"Les Miserables by Victor Hugo," Annabeth said. It was one book you couldn't read without being changed. There were stories like that, so powerful, so perfect that they spoke to the heart, that they fed the soul. The dove into the deepest, darkest parts of your soul and shined light on it. They brought tears to your eyes when you hadn't cried in months. They became a part of you. They changed you.

The woman looked at Annabeth curiously but jotted down a note on her sheet of paper. Was she writing down Annabeth's answer? Or was she saying that she needed to get a better choice in books? "Favorite author."

"Flannery O'Connor," Annabeth said. Ever since she read Flannery her freshman year she had grown addicted to the strange yet beautiful stories. They were dark yet light, hopeless yet full of hope. They were a contradiction in and of themselves yet that was what made them beautiful.

The woman nodded. "Favorite quote."

Quote? That wasn't random at all. Annabeth had to think about this one. There were so many. Words were powerful. Her screensaver on her laptop were different quotes that inspired her when she wrote. "I have so many, it depends on the mood. But one that really sticks with me is: Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon."

"And last question, did you write this?" The woman handed Annabeth an index card with swirly letters that she only knew too well. It was her handwriting.

_Words for the Wise: Can you imagine a time when the Grand Canyon doesn't make you feel small? When it just becomes a hole in the ground? Can you imagine a time when Mount Rushmore just seems like carved rock? It doesn't make your legs quiver in awe? Because you've seen it too much? I don't want my life to be like that. I want to live. I want to have earth shattering moments that seem to move the skies. I want to have moments of awe when I just fall down because my legs can't hold me up anymore. I want to live every day in captivated amazement at what's around me. I want to live. I want to hope, dream, dance, laugh, love, believe, but most of all I want to _**_live_**.

"Yes…" Annabeth said hesitantly.

The woman leaned forward. "You have a gift Annabeth Christine Chase. You better use it. I better see your books in this book store one day, selling out. But until then, I'm going to give you a job here, so that you can spend your time in the words of the authors who came before you. Who I believe you will join. That piece of paper," she tapped it with her finger, "is magic. Don't forget that. Forget what everyone else says Annabeth Christine Chase. And write."

Annabeth sat there, dumbfounded. "I…I have the job?" She asked.

"Is that the only thing you got out of that speech? Yes you got the job, come back here tomorrow at 9 and I'll show you the ropes."

"Um… what's your name?" She asked nervously. Did you ask employers that?

"It's Athena."

**AHH! It's her mom! Or is it? See I had a hard time trying to think about a good store keeper and I thought maybe Apollo but I really couldn't see him working there. But there's many layers to Athena… she's like… an onion, she has layers (OMG can anyone name what movie that is from? And bonus points to anyone who's seen or heard the new musical! Yes if you know the movie don't doubt yourself, there is actually a movie of that movie if you can believe that. I'm a big musical freak if you don't know). **

**So Annabeth has a job. I haven't told you what the bookstore's called. And wouldn't you love to have an interview like that? Wouldn't you love to work in a book store like that? I wanted to kind of model it after the book store from Harry Potter (brownie points to anyone who can name it. You better be able to…)**

**Um quick clarification about the last chapter. Annabeth does not have cancer. She's writing a story called The Letter Writer which is based off of herself leaving letters in the library which Percy found, but not like it as well. The main girl in her story, whose name will be revealed later, has cancer, not Annabeth. Well… unless you want her to have cancer… in that case…**

**Anyway… I better get to work on chapter seven! Have a great day… night… everything. Live! Remember to Live! To work, to dream, to love. I love you all! And I love reviews as well. They make me smile. Oh and I love when people message me! And when people find me on Goodreads and friend me! Special shout out to Cosme di Angelo who friended me. I love when people do that… hint hint.**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Anyone else like the quote Annabeth said? It's one of my favorites**


	7. Dress ShoppingTorture!

**Hey, hey, hey! You guys know you're going to get me in trouble? You know how you're not allowed to have phones at school? Well I'm risking it every now and then and going into an empty classroom and reading reviews. But hey, trouble is a good thing! I'm willing to rebel for you all! So enjoy this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Do I have to repeat this every stinking time? Don't own, never will.**

**Chapter Seven Dress Shopping=Torture **

"You didn't tell me it was a masquerade! Heck you didn't even tell me it was a formal dance! I thought it was just like a party where you and your friends go and get drunk and I'm stuck being the designated driver," Annabeth said, crossing her arms as she stared daggers at Thalia from where she sat angrily in the passenger seat of Thalia's car.

Annabeth had been woken up by insistent pounding on her door. It was no surprise to her when she discovered it was Thalia, being the obnoxious girl she usually was. She then proceeded to drag Annabeth out of her loft and out to go dress shopping.

Which Annabeth despised with a shopping.

Shopping involved too much standing around, pretending to be amazed by different dresses when really you just wanted to die. She usually managed to sneak a book into her bag to read but Thalia knew her too well and had demanded her to leave her book, Jane Eyre, at home.

And when Thalia got scary, Annabeth knew better than to not fight her.

"If I told you it was a formal dance that my dad's throwing would you go? Don't answer that, it's hypothetical Annie," Thalia said as she somehow managed to swerve in and out of traffic without getting the two of them killed, something that Annabeth was very thankful for. How she did it, Annabeth had no idea, it involved a lot of screaming and speeding, two things Thalia loved. "But now that you bring it up, we'll probably need a designated driver knowing how my dad's parties usually turn out. Thanks for volunteering Annie!" Thalia said gleefully.

Annabeth slumped lower into her seat. "I don't get why I have to go dress shopping with you, especially the _day_ before the masquerade." She was mad that Thalia had dragged her out of her loft on her day off when she planned to work on the Letter Writer (which was doing amazing!) and watch a few movies. She had spent the last week working hard at her job and she just wanted to relax, not be out in Times Square doing one of her least favorite things. Dress Shopping.

"Because it will be fun and I'm not letting my best friend look like a homeless person who snuck in," Thalia said factually.

"Thanks," Annabeth quipped back. "Who even has masquerades for fun anymore?" She muttered.

"It's some annual thing my dad does. He invites like everyone and I mean _everyone_ to it, celebrities, politicians, random people he met some day. Oh and of course my cousin," Thalia said slyly, looking at Annabeth.

"Your cousin?" Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "And do I know this cousin?"

"Oh don't worry Annie, I'll introduce you to him," Thalia promised.

"Where are we even going?" Annabeth sighed.

"You'll see," Thalia winked. Annabeth groaned. When Thalia winked it was a bad sign.

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Percy asked, slamming his glass of water down onto the granite countertops and glaring across the counter at Nico who was sitting at his laptop, reading something.

"Honestly Percy, if I told you a week ago you would have found some way out of it. And try not to break the countertops, I don't think Hestia would appreciate if her penthouse apartment had a massive crack on the counter," Nico said, not even looking up. His dark black hair draped over his forehead, hooding his black eyes.

Percy glared at him again. "Still would have been nice to know that I'm going to my uncle's party, who mind you I haven't seen in like… heck I don't think I've ever seen him! And the party's tomorrow, as in, in less than twenty four hours."

"Honestly Perce, it's not that big of a deal," Nico said finally looking up. "It's nothing to freak out about, your cousin will be there, you can hang out with her. Or you could invite Rachel."

Percy made a face and inwardly shuddered at the thought of that… crazy bat clinging onto his every word and every whim.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare… how to describe her? Percy had three words for her, Annoying, Selfish, and Stupid. He thought it fit her perfect. (The anagram for it was brilliant as well). She was a red haired model (though he was pretty sure her hair was dyed) who the media had stuck with Percy ever since he saved her from a freak boating incident where she conveniently fell off the deck of the cruise ship both she and Percy were on. Percy had jumped into the ocean to save her.

And ever since then he could not shake her.

And the media was eating it up.

It was funny though. If it had been a few years earlier, Percy would have jumped at the chance to date someone like Rachel, a girl known for her body. But now whenever Percy looked at her, he just felt a sense of disgust. She probably didn't care about words at all.

Not like _she _did.

Percy shook his head, he needed to focus. He needed to find some way to get out of this stupid party. "I think I'm going to conveniently get Influenza tomorrow around seven o'clock," he muttered.

"Nice try Percy," Nico said, looking at him. "Come on, it'll be fun. Grover will probably be there and Charlie and Selena." Nico just didn't understand. He just didn't. Most people didn't. But once you actually got into the spotlight you understood, you understood that fame wasn't everything.

"Yeah fun, it sure puts the fun…in funeral."

"Really Thalia? I can't even pronounce the name of this place," Annabeth said, squinting at the sign in front of the store which was written in swirly letters. "What language is that, is it French?" She asked, looking to Thalia for help. Thalia shrugged.

"Don't look at me, maybe it's Italian, I don't know okay? I just heard that this is the place to go if you want a dress for a dance like this masquerade."

"Geez Thals, you can't even tell me the name of the store we're at," Annabeth said folding her arms. "I guess that means you did a whole lot of research into what type of a store this is."

Thalia shrugged. "Really Annie who does research before they go dress shopping and don't you dare raise your hand. That's just… not normal. Plus I know the chick who owns this place… Hey watch where you're going!" She yelled at a man who was rushing past her and bumped into her, knocking her off balance. She fell ungracefully to her rear. Annabeth snorted as Thalia scrambled to get up.

"Don't you dare laugh at me Annabeth Chase," Thalia said, pointing an accusing finger at her best friend. She brushed herself off. "Honestly I don't understand why people have to be so rude here."

"Thalia, you call people a bunch of bubbling buffoons, I'm not exactly sure you're the most polite person in the world either," Annabeth snickered. "And plus it's New York City, what would you expect? Everyone acting like Mary Poppins."

"If I was Mary Poppins I'd turn them all into rabbits."

"We are not having this discussion again," Annabeth groaned. "For the last time that was Bed knobs and Broomsticks not Mary Poppins."

"Whatever," Thalia said shrugging and dusting off her black leather jacket. "I'd still turn them into rabbits."

Annabeth slapped her hand to her forehead and then allowed herself to be pulled into the store which they still had not determined the name of.

The instant they entered the store, Annabeth cringed. It was filled with dresses, makeup, pink, pink and more pink. She didn't think that there were that many shades of pink that even existed in the world. She was a girl who had learned to shoot a rifle from her dad and to use a knife from her other childhood best friend. She was a writer. She didn't not belong in this store.

"This must be where supermodels go to die," Thalia whispered to Annabeth as they both stood their awkwardly. The store was jammed packed with ladies and even a few men who looked bored out of their minds as they carried bags for their girlfriends or wives. _Note to self. Never make your boyfriend carry your shopping bags, it makes them look highly undignified. Solution= Never go shopping_. Annabeth thought as she sympathized for those poor men.

"Maybe we should try a Thrift Store or something," Thalia whispered to Annabeth, keeping her voice down as so not to be heard. Thrift Stores were where Annabeth and Thalia used to have to shop for their dance dresses as they both had to pay for it with pocket money and that wasn't a lot.

"Let's do it," Annabeth agreed. They slowly turned around to exit out of the store when a sharp squeal erupted from somewhere. Annabeth wondered if two ladies were getting into a fight over shoes. If they were they better be careful, some of those heels looked more detrimental to someone than a knife did.

"Thalia!" The voice squealed and Annabeth saw Thalia cringe out of the corner of her eye. Slowly they both turned to see a woman running towards them. How she managed to run in those seven inch heels was a mystery to Annabeth. She would fall and break her ankle and probably her face if it was herself doing it. "I'm so glad you could come!" The woman said grabbing Thalia's hands and squeezing them. Thalia's face was steeled in a mask of no emotion.

The woman was gorgeous. She was easily one of the most beautiful people Annabeth had ever seen in her life. She had deep, dark red hair which made her look pretty and dignified unlike other red heads she had seen (no offense to red heads! I love red heads! I have red in my hair as well!). It was swept up into a graceful bun with a few tendrils of hair falling perfectly into place. When Annabeth tried to do a bun it made her look like a crazy cat lady. Her eyes seemed to change colors depending on the lighting, one minute they seemed more green than blue, the next they were more brown than green. Her makeup was done perfectly and tastefully. Her clothes probably cost double a month's rent for Annabeth's flat.

"And you must be Annie!" The woman squealed, pecking Annabeth on the cheek with her perfect lips. Annabeth stumbled backwards. Did she really just kiss her on the cheek? Was this some new foreign greeting?

"Annabeth," she muttered.

Thalia cleared her throat. "Er yes… um this is Annabeth and Annabeth this is Venus Aphrodite."

Annabeth's eyes popped open. "Wait, hold up a minute, _the _Venus Aphrodite?" She asked. "As in the model Venus Aphrodite?"

The woman giggled. "Do you know any other Venus Aphrodite?" She asked. "I think I'm the only one."

"Wait, what are you doing running a dress shop in Times Square?" Annabeth asked. No wonder the woman was so perfect, she was only the most famous model in the world. Four time World's Most Beautiful Woman did that to you.

"Oh it's a hobby really, I own a whole chain of _Amor Vincit Omnia_," Venus Aphrodite said, shrugging.

"Oh so that's what it says," Thalia whispered to Annabeth.

"It's Latin Thalia, it means Love Conquers All," the older woman said, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails. "After all it's true. Love can make the most powerful men crumple to their knees, it makes nations fall. Just look at Troy. It fell because of two people's mad love for each other. So romantic," she sighed, clasping her hands together.

"Romantic?" Annabeth asked. "You call the death of thousands of soldiers, both Greek and Trojan and a ten year war all because of a selfish coward of a prince romantic?"

"I don't look at it that way," the woman said, her eyes seemed to turn an icy blue as she stared at Annabeth. "Love was powerful back then, it was honored, it was supposed to be sacred to the gods. Paris and Helen were only fulfilling what the gods wanted by running away. They were fulfilling their fate to love each other."

"Paris kidnapped Helen!" Annabeth argued.

"That's what you think. But can you know for certain? All I'm saying is that Love is what holds this world together. Without love we would be nothing. Haven't you ever loved anyone before, so much that it hurts," Aphrodite said. Annabeth didn't look up at her. She'd never really felt that way for someone. She "loved" Thalia but not in the sense Aphrodite was talking about. Not in that soul burning, heart aching love she yearned for. Not in a crazy, heated passion. Not in a love that moves the sun and the stars as she once had written in one of her letters. Not in a pure, blissful love. No. She never had been."People do crazy things for love. People die for love. And even though Troy fell, Aeneas went on to found the greatest Empire ever, Rome."

"That's up for debate," Annabeth muttered. But she was silent. She remembered two Words for the Wise she wrote in her letters. One was so similar to what Aphrodite said:

_W4W: I think that love is one of the most powerful feelings in the world. Right up there with hatred. And the line between hatred and love is so thin that it's easy to cross. It's easy to dance upon that fine line between love and hate. One minute you stare at someone in disgust and the next you're wishing they would smile at you just once. People do crazy things for love. They sacrifice themselves for love. Love is powerful. Love is beautiful. Love is selfless. Love is fire. It consumes, it breathes. So love more than hate because hatred leaves to darkness but Love leads to light._

"And we didn't come here for a debate Aphrodite, we're here for dresses," Thalia said. "For the masquerade tomorrow."

"Oh yes!" Aphrodite squealed, her demur suddenly changed from serious and storm clouds to happy and giggling like a little school girl. "Oh yes! The masquerade!" She said. "Well then, we'll just have to find something perfect for the both of you."

"I'm thinking something pink for Thalia," Annabeth said. Thalia snorted and looked at her, annoyed.

"No, no pink, I draw the line at pink," Thalia said crossing her arms. Annabeth smirked, looking at Thalia as she dressed was dressed in her favorite black t-shirt which read "Death to Barbie" and her black leather jacket.

"Oh I don't know Thalia, pink seems like your color," Annabeth said.

"No, more like a black, I like you in black Thalia," Aphrodite said. She turned and studied Annabeth, her eyes roving over her form, taking it all in. She tapped a finger against her chin, pondering.

"And for you… well I have no idea what I'm going to do with you."

Well that sounded promising.

"Night Thalia," Annabeth said as waved goodbye to Thalia as Thalia drove away. Annabeth hurried inside her apartment building, knowing the dangers of being outside in New York City at night. Strange things lurked in the dark, she learned that from reading.

Annabeth hurried into the apartment building, her feet sore from standing for so long. Aphrodite had insisted that Annabeth try on what felt like every gown in the whole store. Needless to say, she didn't not like it one bit. But she had found a dress for tomorrow and Aphrodite was sending it to her early tomorrow morning (free of charge for the delivery of course).

Upstairs Annabeth pulled out her key and entered into her flat, making sure to relock the door behind her. She let out a yawn and then changed into her sweats and made herself a mug of tea. Grabbing her laptop, she sat down on her couch, folded her legs and turned it on. She quickly logged onto Writer's Corner.

There were at least a dozen new reviews from the last time she checked (which was only thirty minutes ago, she had gotten an app on her phone which allowed her to look, something which came in handy when she was bored).

She grinned as she read some of them. It made her feel good to know that there were people out there, somewhere in the world which seemed so big that where reading her story. Reading her words. And loving them.

Annabeth began an update for before her next chapter she was writing.

**WiseGirl36: Hello everyone out there in Computer Land. So today I went dress shopping for a party I'm going to tomorrow (yes, yes, very last minute I know) and now my feet hurt so much I feel like they're going to fall off, but apparently that's physically impossible. So I guess I'll have to settle for just saying that they really, really hurt. Here's my new chapter. I admit I cried during this chapter. So enjoy!**

Satisfied for the short note, she uploaded her next chapter and then sat back, pleased that she was changing at least one person. One person had to actually understand her words, had to feel them and feel drawn to them.

Right?

On the other side of New York City, Percy Jackson sat at his computer. He had just finished his lengthy email to his mother which was a daily occurrence.

Percy Jackson wasn't ashamed of his mother. In fact Sally Jackson was one of the bravest women he knew. She had suffered through falling in love with a man who left her alone and with child. She had suffered through an abusive marriage with a man whom Percy would refer to as Smelly Gabe when he was younger (though smelly didn't really cover it, it was more like repulsive and puke worthy). Yet never had she given up.

She reminded Percy of _her. _Of his mystery letter writer.

Their strength and resolve were so similar. Sometimes Percy found himself thinking that if his mystery girl and his mother were to meet they'd get along amazingly.

Percy had been happy that his mother had found her happy ending in Paul. Everyone deserved a happy ending, even if it's not the ending you thought would be the "happy ending." Life is like that, it likes to mess with your mind, trick you into believing you want one thing when really your heart wants another.

Percy sighed and looked at the digital clock on his laptop. He rubbed his temples with his fingers and sighed. He thought he was happy. But was he?

No, he was tired.

Tired of everything.

He thought that this was supposed to make him happy, the fame, the money. Isn't this what she meant by living for her? Percy shook his head, deep down he knew that it wasn't. He wasn't living, he was dying. This wasn't worth anything. The lights, the fame, the girls, everything, it got to you. It suffocated you. Fame wasn't everything.

But he couldn't stop, not when he was so far in. No, he'd have to keep going, no matter how hard it was, no matter how much it killed him.

And it was sure killing him.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ FIRST PARAGRAPH! **

**Once again this is foundation for the story. I know that it's moving slowly but you can't rush genius! I want to take a moment and talk about Percy's character. I know that I've been focusing more on Annabeth but DON'T WORRY! Percy plays a massive, massive role soon. I know he's a bit off-character but it's because I feel like Annabeth really completes Percy and right now he doesn't know who Annabeth is. So it's like he's missing a piece of him. So he's not like he usually is. But don't worry. Just wait. All good things come with time. Also I know there's some confusion about the whole cancer thing. ANNABETH DOES NOT HAVE CANCER! IT'S A STORY SHE'S WRITING! It's meant to be sort of confusing by the way. Remember this Italics=Annabeth's writing when there's a lot of it (so W4W are her writing as is the section about the girl and the cancer and the boy who finds the letters. Italics means writing, because I think italics looks more like handwriting than regular does. Bold equals stuff on the computer, like posts for Writer's Corner. Make sense? I hope it does :)**

**The next chapter should be up soon… as soon as I type it. But don't worry I know what it's about and it might be a tad… dark… sad… depressing. It's about Annabeth and Percy's histories. **

**So um… yeah. Hey has anyone read Divergent? Ahhh! I love that book sooo much! And the movie's coming out soon. I'm excited. Are you? You better be. Haha kidding. So message me, or friend me on Goodreads (hint, hint. By the way that website is awesome, if you don't get an account I recommend getting one). Love ya'll.**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Review! It's my goal to get to a hundred reviews or favorites or follows or something. Please make my dream come true!**


	8. Little Words

**WARNING- This chapter tells about why Percy hasn't been all happy and relaxed as he was in the books. It deals with a bit more "advanced" themes and ideas. It's not M or anything but I just wanted to let you know that it deals with mentions of cutting and gangs and smoking, the mentions are very limited and there aren't many, maybe one or two. I just want to let you all know that I am completely and utterly opposed to all those things. But this is important to the story. It goes to show just how much Annabeth means to Percy. So if you are nervous about reading this chapter, please don't. I don't want you to stop reading my story because of this. There probably won't be very many chapters like this but sometimes you have to write about reality. And this, my friends, sadly is reality for many people. But don't worry, it will turn out all right in the end. I hate writing about these things, I hate that there are these things in the world, but there are. I refuse to write M rated material. I refuse to. I write T and that's all. So don't worry. And if you ever feel like something is bordering on M with my stories. Let me know. Please? Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it was, but it isn't. **

Chapter Eight Little Words

They say that dreams tell you about your fears. If you have nightmares about losing one of your permanent teeth it usually means that you have a fear of being wrong or of things not being perfect. If you have a dream about drowning in an ocean it means you fear being small and insignificant. But doctors can never fully know the workings of the mind, they can never fully determine a dream and its meaning.

But they do know one thing:

Dreams have power.

When the body goes to sleep, the mind is still at work and you're transported to another world. A world of dreams. But not all dreams are good. Some dreams can hinder more than help. Some dreams make you relive a past you just want to forget about.

And some dreams make you wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.

Just as Percy Jackson was experiencing right now.

_"Tyson!"A fifteen year old Percy yelled as he watched his thirteen year old brother run into the road after a ball after Percy had dared him to go and get it. He had called Tyson and chicken and a coward and taunted him until he said he'd go and get the football that he had overthrown in their game of catch._

_"Watch out!" Percy screamed, he heard his voice crack as time seemed to slow just as they say it does when something awful is about to happen. He could feel it in his stomach, his heart began to pound faster and faster as he watched the car coming out of nowhere, swerving left and right as if the driver couldn't control themselves. As if the driver was drunk._

_Straight at his half-brother._

_Tyson didn't stand a chance._

_He had always been slower than Percy, bigger and seemed to lumber around whereas Percy was agile and quick. The car struck the thirteen year old boy down. _

_In all happened in a blur. The car. The scream. The boy crumpling to the ground. Percy couldn't remember any feeling more terrible, any feeling more thick with emotion as he watched in horror as his little brother didn't move. As the car didn't stop. As the car sped on by._

_Percy was praying. He was praying it was all a dream and that Tyson would get back up and laugh. That he would be fine. But it wasn't a dream. He knew it wasn't it. It couldn't be after all. Things don't happen like this in a dream. _

_Only in nightmares._

_"Tyson, Tyson!" He yelled as he rushed to his brother's side, shaking the limp form of the boy who he had been mad at for so long._

_Yes Percy Jackson, the kid who everyone thought was easy going and who liked everyone and everyone liked, had hated his only brother. Well half-brother. He hated how his dad, his dad who he had only met once when he was eleven had sent Tyson to live with him and his mom even though he must have known it would strain his mother and make her work harder. He hated Tyson and his innocent ways of thinking and how he thought everything was right in the world. _

_Everything wasn't right in the world._

_He shouldn't be so damn happy while Percy wasn't. How could he smile when all Percy wanted to do was throw something at someone? Sometimes he wanted to strangle the kid._

_But not now._

_No. Looking at Tyson as he lay in the middle of the road in lower New York with blood pooling out of his head from an unknown source and his face turning a sickly white, Percy wanted nothing more than to take back every single terrible thought, every single time he wanted Tyson to disappear. _

_But he couldn't._

_And here he was, facing the hard, cold truth right in the eye._

_Tyson was dying. And quickly. _

_An ambulance appeared and suddenly there were people all around him, pulling him back and taking Tyson away from him. "Tyson!" Percy yelled. "No!" He fought against the hands that seemed to be grabbing at him. He couldn't let his brother be taken, it was all his fault._

_All his fault. _

_"It's okay son, your brother will be alright," a man said as he patted Percy's back. "There's just a lot of blood, it looks bad but we'll fix him." _

_Percy jerked away from the man and stared at the ambulance, someone must have called for it. He should have done that right when he saw Tyson fall. But no, once again he was too stupid to care about his brother. "It's all my fault," he whispered._

_But this was where the dream turned even worse. "Of course it's your fault. It's all your fault, everything is your fault," the man sneered at him and then his face turned to that of his mother._

_"Every time I look at you I'm ashamed, ashamed to call you my son, ashamed to have given birth to you," Sally Jackson said shaking her head in disgust at her son. And it kept going and going._

_Different people telling him he was worthless, that he had failed miserably. That it was all his fault._

_Everything was his fault._

_Everything._

Percy jerked up in bed, his breathing heavy as he clutched at the silk sheets that pooled around his body. His forehead was covered in sweat as the same nightmare which had plagued him every since that day when Tyson was hit by the car, haunted him.

It never seemed to let him go. It clutched at his soul. It was his fault.

He felt tears growing in his eyes. Percy hated crying. He felt weak, he felt useless. But he couldn't help it. The feeling was suffocating him, it was dragging him down. Pulling him deeper and deeper into the murk of the dream.

Percy swung his feet out of his bed and just sat there, staring out into the twinkling skies at the New York sky line from the large windows in his room. There were so many people out there that were all living their own lives, not even knowing what was going on in his. Many of them probably listened to his music, a few probably had posters of him on their wall. But they didn't know.

After all, how could they?

There were so many people in the world, how could they know about anything. They would pass a person on the street and not realize that that person was dying inside. They would laugh at a fat person and not know that they were suffering from an eating disorder that could kill them and no matter how hard they tried they couldn't get thinner.

They just didn't know.

That day, the day Tyson was hit, Percy learned that the world was cruel. That fate was cruel.

When his father had heard about Tyson being in the hospital, he had made sure to send one of the best doctors he knew, Dr. James Hermes to tend to Tyson. Percy had been mad, finally his dad showed some sort of inkling of caring. But only when his son was injured.

His dad after all was Marius Poseidon, though everyone knew him as Poseidon. He was a legend. He dabbled with everything dealing with the water, from swimming pools to cruise ships to submarines, everyone knew about Poseidon Industries, just as everyone knew about his brother Zeus. His father had millions upon millions of dollars yet he never gave any to Percy or his mother. In fact he made it harder on them by sending them Tyson, a son he had out of an affair with a super-model.

And of course Sally couldn't turn Tyson away.

That night, while Percy and Sally sat in the waiting room of the hospital (Gabe had been having a poker party and didn't see the point in going to the hospital, so Sally left him with a seven layer bean dip and called it good), Percy couldn't help but be angry.

Angry at everyone.

Why the hell couldn't life be fair? Wasn't he a good person? Why did he have to suffer?

Tyson lost an eye.

He was blinded in one eye and it had swollen shut so tightly that Hermes said it would never open again. And if it did, it would be a milky white color, the color which meant he would never see out of that eye again.

And he had become dumb. Not dumb in the sense where he was stupid, he was still smart. But he had a hard time forming complex words, preferring to stick to shorter, easier to pronounce words, his favorite word to say being "peanut-butter." His brain wasn't working as fast as it should have been. A blow to the head could do that to you. He would be in the hospital for a while.

While Percy thanked whatever immortal being had saved Tyson's life, he began to grow mad again.

That night when he got home he began the cutting.

The cutting seemed to relieve the tension and the pain.

It made him focus on a different pain. This pain was more physical, not emotional like he'd been feeling. He could handle this pain.

That was when he met Nico.

Nico was there for him, Nico understood him. Nico had been the boy that everyone thought was weird, with his leather jackets and his skull rings, pasty white skin and dark black hair that fell over his eyes. But Percy didn't find Nico weird.

Nico was going through the same thing.

His sister Bianca had died in a car crash recently.

No one had known. She was in college, she didn't attend their high school.

It was another example of how the world really didn't care about what was happening around them. They lived in their small houses, doing the same routine, caring only about what they went through, not what someone else went through. Why waste your time?

But Percy and Nico bonded over both accidents.

If you could call bonding participating in drugs together. Drugs were what Nico did to rid himself of the pain, just like Percy cut himself. But Nico had standards. Nico didn't get caught up in gangs like Percy did. Nico didn't get into fights like Percy did.

Nico held Percy back at times. Something Percy now realized was a blessing in disguise.

Nico was a blessing in disguise.

So when Percy started finding the letters three years later, the letters that let him know that he wasn't the only one that was fed up with this crazy world, that he wasn't the only one who was tired. When he found the letters and made the promise that he wouldn't let up, he proposed the back-packing trip through Europe to Nico.

He wanted to live.

And so did Nico.

Both were tired with living in the dark. But the dark seemed to have become their friend. This was a way out, a new experience, a new life.

So they left. They left New York City, they left the drugs and the cutting and the gangs. It was hard, there were nights when Percy woke up to find himself clutching a knife. It scared him to think that he had that little control over himself. But Nico stopped him, just as Percy stopped Nico when he was wanting to take drugs, when he was losing his fight.

They held each other up. They were there for each other.

And _she _was there for Percy as well.

Sometimes Percy wondered what would happen if he had never read those letters all those years ago, sometimes he wondered if he'd still be stuck on cutting… or worse, if he wouldn't even be alive anymore. Those letters forced him to cling onto hope, to not stop praying and wishing that he could actually live.

_She_ had a way of making him smile.

_W4W: Sometimes I just can't help myself. Sometimes I just want to live. I just want to dance. I want to sing at the top of my lungs. So do it. Don't hold back, don't hold it in. Let go and live! Dance in the rain, sing in the shower, play as if you're the best person at the sport. Smile often, laugh much. Those are what makes a life a happy one. Laughter and smiling. Love and Hope. _

She had a way of connecting with him even though he had never met her before in his life. She had a way of lifting him up.

And he never knew her.

Now he wished that he did. He wished that he had the courage she did to leave a letter. He wish he could have left a letter for her. But he had told himself it was a dumb idea, that she would probably laugh at him. He might be able to write song lyrics, but he couldn't write a letter to save his life.

He had tried, oh he had tried to. But every time the letter wounded up crumpled in a ball and in his waste basket.

Percy buried his head in his hands. What was she doing right now? Where was she? Did she get her dream of backpacking across Europe? Did she find it just as amazing as he did when he went? Or was she still not living like she wanted to?

Percy sat there, his head buried in his hands. He thought about just how much he was getting tired of it all. Was it all worth it?

Sometimes he didn't think so.

Sighing, Percy pulled himself off his bed and wandered out of his bedroom towards the kitchen. As he walked he looked around at his apartment, his penthouse that he shared with Nico. It was definitely expensive but it wasn't like it cost anything to him, he could afford a dozen of these houses. Percy snorted, who'd have thought that he would be able to say that about himself.

He bet that the kids whom he had gone to highschool with were kicking themselves for making fun of him. They were probably thinking that if they had been nicer to him they would be getting the "special" treatment from him, which included VIP tickets to his concerts.

Percy snorted, thinking about the variety of emails and texts and even hand written notes, telling him how much Ray Smith from his ninth grade Biology class missed him and how they needed to "catch" up, or from Sue Holland saying that they were "tight" in eleventh grade. His favorite had been from Nancy Bobofit, a kleptomaniac red head with a face that looked like liquid cheetohs had been sprayed onto, had told him that she had a big crush on him back in tenth grade and that was why she always harassed him.

Nice try.

Percy wandered into the kitchen, almost in a daze as he looked at the expensive furnishings. He was living the dream and yet at times it felt like a nightmare.

His guitar laid on the table from where he had left it last night, trying to pick out a new rift for the chorus of one of the songs he was working on entitled: Little Words.

_W4W: I feel like we don't understand the importance of the little words in life, I mean, "have a good day" is just as important as "you got the promotion" or you look like a model. If I could hear the phrase "have a good day" at least once a day, I think I'd smile a bit more. Maybe I'd be happier. Just simple words, once a day, can have more of a meaning than quote unquote "big" words do every once and a while. Why can't we use words how they're meant to be used? Like the words "I love you". I want the man I marry to say those words to me and mean it, not to have said that to another dozen girls. Remember the little words, cherish them. Speak them._

It was little words like saying he was sorry to Tyson. Like saying that he never wanted Tyson to be hurt. Like saying he loved Tyson.

Percy hummed along with the lyrics he had written, a smile playing on his lips. The one thing he could never forget that the mysterious letter writer had given him was his music. Without her he may never have found the beauty of the lyrics, the beauty of the haunting melody that played over and over in his head. Found the way that music speaks to you when words can't. Music overcame anything.

Music was soul.

"Percy?" Percy's eyes shot open to see Nico leaning against the fridge, his black hair tussled from sleep and his eyes tired. "What are you doing up? It's 2 in the morning." He let out a yawn and then rubbed his temples.

"I couldn't sleep," Percy said.

Nico gave Percy a sympathetic look, "Was it the nightmare again?" He asked. Percy looked away.

"It keeps coming, I thought it'd go away, why doesn't it go away?" Percy whispered harshly. "Why won't it leave me alone?"

Nico came over and sat down next to Percy. "Perce, I don't know why. You know that I don't have the answers to why bad things happen, and I'm not going to pretend to. I'll just tell you this. It's the past, look forward Percy, don't look back."

Percy cracked a grin, "Have you been reading over my back?" He asked. Nico's pale face turned slightly pink.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Nico muttered.

"You've been reading The Letter Writer too! (AN: For those of you who need to a clarification, the Letter Writer is the story Annabeth is writing)" Percy said.

"I might be…" Nico admitted. "It's not like I had anything better to do," he grumbled.

"You like it though, you have to admit it, there's nothing else like it out there," Percy said, poking Nico in the side.

"Yeah, whatever," Nico said. That was going to be the closest thing to a confession that Percy would get. He grinned again. "You know what else it good? Sleep," Nico said, standing up. "Get some sleep Percy." He turned around and headed out of the kitchen.

"Hey Nico?" Percy called. Nico paused and turned around to look at Percy.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go and see Tyson on Saturday?" Percy asked.

"Yeah Percy, I don't think we have anything that day," Nico said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Great. And Nico. Thanks for being here for me," Percy said.

Nico gave a ghost of a smile. "What are best friends for?"

**So there's more Nico in this chapter (That's for you Cosme! J I hope you liked him!) So what do you think? Yay, nay? Remember you can message me! I love messaging people! Just ask Mrs. Di-Angelo or Becc-Paramore-Lover. I'll stay up until whenever my parents come home messaging people. And if you have a goodreads then message me! Do people even read these things or am I just typing willy-nilly? If you're reading this let me know please? Okay? I was really, really, really nervous about this chapter. What did you think? Please don't kill me. Please. **

**And the next chapter is… MASQUERADE! ….Paper faces on parade** **Maquerade! Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you! Masquerade! Every face a different shade! Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you. (Who can name that song… or more where it's from! It's one of my big obsessions in life!) **

**I've decided that I'll post two chapters a weekend since you only get one per week days so that's three chapters a week. Can you live with that?**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- So can I get fifteen new reviews before I post again? I want to get to a hundred so please, please pretty please!**

**Post Post Script- I'd hurry and review because the next chapter THEY MEET! I'm so excited, I'm writing it right now and I'm in love with Percy and Annabeth! **


	9. Paper Faces on Parade

**So how's all ya'lls week going? Good? Good. So I have the strangest habit of writing at night. Like really late into the night. Oh well. As long as I get my chapter done you don't care do you?**

**So this is being posted in honor of my basketball team's senior night and our one lone senior Katie West. I love you Katie!**

**OH AND THE FACT THAT I GOT A 100 REVIEWS! YES!**

**Disclaimer: Can I just do a disclaimer for the rest of this story? I don't own. I never will. Rick Riordan does. I'm just borrowing the characters. So yeah. Enjoy.**

**Chapter Nine Paper Faces on Parade**

Annabeth had never felt so awed in her life.

As she stared at the massive mansion in front of her, she felt small.

Very small.

And Annabeth hated feeling small. It made her feel insignificant, something she hated more than anything in the world. She didn't want to be insignificant. She wanted to be important. She wanted to be _something_ or _someone_.

"Breathe Annabeth, breath," she whispered to herself as she steeled herself to walk up to the entrance to the house. Thankfully Thalia was at her side so she didn't have to do it alone.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine Annie," Thalia said, squeezing her hand. But even Thalia didn't look so sure. Annabeth could tell. She prided herself in being able to read her best friend's facial expression even if she was wearing at large black mask over her eyes.

At least Annabeth thought she looked pretty. If she thought she looked pretty than it would be easier to make it through the night.

Aphrodite was able to work magic. Literally.

She had found Annabeth a long, floor length navy blue dress which apparently set off her eyes and her hair as according to Thalia and Aphrodite. It was one shoulder and swept up around the waste where all the material gathered and cinched together. She had to admit it was beautiful. And the fact that she had gotten it free… okay so Thalia wouldn't let her leave the store until Annabeth agreed to let her buy it for her… made it even better. She usually didn't accept charity but since she decided that Thalia was foricing her to come to this dance as moral support, Thalia might as well buy her dress for her.

Thalia looked gorgeous in her strapless black and white dress which fell to her knees and poofed out because of the large about of tulle that was underneath the black skirt. The top was white with black swirls and the bottom was black with white swirls. However the part of the outfit which was Annabeth's favorite was her converse.

Only Thalia could pull off black converse at a Masquerade party.

Annabeth had tried to get Thalia into a pretty, dark pink dress but Thalia had drawn the line. She refused to even go near anything pink. But Annabeth wasn't giving up, not in the least bit. She'd see her best friend in pink if it was the last thing she'd do.

The duo walked to the front entrance. "Apparently there used to be a massive mob of news people here to try and sneak a view of all the famous people. Dad didn't have a problem with it, it was good publicity but some of the people that came threatened to sue so he put the gate up around the property," Thalia said, nodding to the tall wall around the massive house.

Annabeth was still amazed by the architecture of the house. Corinthian columns, strong support at the bottom, dome tops and that was just the outside, she couldn't wait to see the inside. A massive drive way circled around in front of the house in a horseshoe shape and cars were parked tightly into spots. All of the cars were worth more than Annabeth's loft, a reality she was coming all too familiar with.

That's what happened when your best friend was rich.

Lifting her skirts up, she followed Thalia up the grand stairs which had a fountain every three steps. It seemed a bit too over the top for Annabeth and if she had designed it, she would have put only one in the exact center of the stairwell to the front of the house but make it very regal and beautiful.

The doors to the mansion were wide open with men dressed in such a way that they resembled penguins to Annabeth stood guard. They didn't even bat an eyelash when Thalia swept in, her head held high. Annabeth hurried behind her, hoping that she looked half as confident as her best friend.

Inside in the grand foyer, as Thalia called it, there was an incredibly large double staircase and at least a hundred people milling around, all in fancy outfits and masks so that Annabeth couldn't tell who she was looking at. It made her giddy. For all she knew she might talk to someone famous tonight!

The party spilled over into a large ballroom where music was playing and people were dancing, spinning around in swirls of colored silk. Annabeth thought it was dreamy. She reached for the notebook in her purse to write down the description but Thalia swatted her hand.

"No, you're not writing anything tonight," Thalia said. "You're here to dance." Annabeth began to protest but Thalia gave her a stink eye so she bit her lip but agreed not to write anything. So she had to settle for a picture with her phone which made Thalia roll her eyes.

"So what are we doing here?" Annabeth whispered, looking around self consciously.

Thalia shrugged. "I don't know, Dad makes me come, so I'll have to go check in with him before I leave just to prove that I really came."

"But how can you tell who he is?" Annabeth asked, craning her head to look around. She couldn't tell who a single person was. Not that she would know anyone here, it wasn't like she frequented the circles that many of these people moved in.

"Thalia, Annabeth!" A tall brunette accosted them, her face hidden behind a white mask with red swirls around the eyes. She wore a blood red dress which dipped far too low than Annabeth would feel comfortable wearing. And her heals. Annabeth didn't have a word to describe them.

"Hey Aphrodite," Thalia said as the woman in red squeezed Thalia into a massive hug. Annabeth took a step back before she could do it to her. "You dyed your hair," Thalia noted.

Aphrodite giggled and twirled a loose strand of her hair which had fallen out of her curls which were pinned back. She looked amazing of course, as if she could look anything else. "The red didn't really match with the dress, far too much red."

"So you just dyed it?" Annabeth asked. Who did that, 'oh my hair didn't match with my dress so I'm just going to dye it'.

"Of course, what else would I do? Buy a new dress? How silly," Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes.

"No because you couldn't just wear the dress, that'd be ridiculous," Annabeth said sarcastically. Aphrodite's eyes lit up.

"Now you see my problem!" Aphrodite said. It was Annabeth's turn to roll her eyes. Vanity annoyed her.

"So where's Hephaestus?" Thalia asked casually, trying to steer the conversation away from Annabeth wanting to strangle her. Everyone knew about Aphrodite and Hephaestus, the oddest couple in the Celebrity world. Hephaestus was a special effects designer for some of the best movies ever produced. He met Aphrodite on the set of one of the movies that she was working on (her film career was cut short when they quickly found out that she couldn't act as well as she could model). They married three weeks later. But whereas Aphrodite was gorgeous and one of the most beautiful women on the planet, Hephaestus was ugly.

And that wasn't an understatement.

His beard was burnt and singed at the edges, his face was misshaped from when his mother dropped him out of shock at his face which was slightly sunken in on one side. He walked with a limp as one of his legs was shorter than another. How they had gotten together no one had any idea.

"Of course not, do you have any idea what he would do to my image if he was here with me?" Aphrodite said, examining her nails. "Ares is here with me," she waved her hand in the general direction of wherever he was.

Ares, the greatest football quarter back to grace the planet, or so he acted. He was tall and burly and rode a Harley Motorcycle wherever he went. He was one of the best athletes ever but he was known for his brutality, a fierce brutality that didn't care who got hurt.

"You came to a party with Ares?" Thalia asked.

"Of course? Who else would I go with?" Aphrodite asked confused. Annabeth began to wonder if Hephaestus wondered that his wife was having an affair with Ares. For some reason she had a feeling that he did. "You two look simply gorgeous in those dresses," Aphrodite said. "I knew that they would fit perfectly. But really Thalia, the shoes?"

Thalia grinned, "I think they just complete the outfit," Thalia said, spinning around.

Annabeth grinned as Aphrodite cringed.

It just kept getting better and better.

* * *

"Why do I do this?" Percy asked, as he leaned against the table filled to the brim with food. He swirled his punch around in his glass and looked at the massive party, at the swirls of silk and drapes of black as the couples spun around on the dance floor. The room made his head hurt with all the people and bright lights.

"Because your uncle asked you to," Nico said as he reached for a small sandwich and popped it into his mouth. "And the food is incredible, you have to admit it."

"Only the best for my uncle," Percy muttered, but he reached for a macaroon, something he had discovered in France and had developed an unhealthy obsession for. "And this mask is annoying me," he said, reaching up to try and scratch his face underneath the black mask.

"But it's also keeping you from getting over run by screaming girls… and men." That was true. It was amazing just how much a mask hid your identity. Of course, Percy had been very familiar with the talent of wearing a mask. After all he had worn one for years.

"Touché," Percy said, leaning back and closing his eyes. He tried to drown out all of the annoying chatter with the music, with the soft pull of the violin strings or the loud dancing of the fingers on the piano keys. He had trained himself to be able to pick out each individual instrument.

"Would you look at that," Nico said, whistling and nudging Percy in the side. Percy's eyes opened and he looked up to where Nico was pointing.

He couldn't help but let his eyes pop open.

It was a tall blond, only a few inches shorter than Percy. The way she moved was as if she was walking on water. Her blond hair was pulled up into a bun with a few stray curls falling around her tan face. She wore a beautiful navy blue dress that fell to the floor. The blue looked nice on her… really nice on her.

"Di immortals," Percy muttered. He thought he was seeing an angel or something like that… great now he was turning into a hopeless romantic. "Tell me I'm not the only one seeing this."

"You're not the only one seeing this," Nico said. Percy watched as her lips quirked up in a smile at what the girl next to her said.

_She's probably good with words_ Percy thought.

"Isn't that your cousin next to her?" Nico asked, pointing at the girl next to the masked beauty.

"How can you tell?" Percy asked. "She's wearing a mask."

"Come on man, only Thalia has that spiky of black hair and only she would wear that dress to this party. And plus there's the converse."

Good point. Only Thalia Grace could pull off the knee length black dress and converse to a fancy party.

"Okay so it's Thalia, whatever. It's not like I'm tight with Pinecone Face or anything, I haven't talked with her in at least a year." Nico snickered at Percy's nickname. When Thalia was twelve she got stuck in a pinecone tree because she had climbed too high and then looked down.

Thalia had a fear of heights.

A bad one.

"Come on, use your cousin to meet mystery girl," Nico said. "I know you want to talk to her."

"What… what no!" Percy said. "I…I'm good." But his eyes kept straight on the tall blonde. He wanted to talk to her so badly but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself too.

"Hey guys," a chipper voice said. A girl with choppy brown hair pulled into curls with many different braids running through it. Her eyes were like kaleidoscopes, ever changing. She smiled at the two boys as she collapsed into a seat next to them, spreading out her turquoise dress and adjusting her black mask with small blue and green flowers.

"Hey Piper," Nico said, "Jason." He nodded to the blond that sat down next to Piper, his electric blue eyes shining behind his mask.

"Hey Nico," Jason said. "Percy." Percy grunted and crossed his arms, his sea green eyes still focused on the masked girl next to his cousin. He remembered back to when he was little and there would be a cookie on the counter but he was too small to grab it. So close yet so far away.

The same went for the girl. There was something about her that made Percy feel like he knew her, like he had known her for forever.

"What's up with him?" Jason asked. "Did he get rejected by someone again?"

"Shut up Sparky," Percy said, glaring at him.

"Nope, but he's afraid he will be," Nico said.

"The blonde chick with my sister?" Jason asked. Nico nodded.

"Oh she was nice!" Piper said, "And she's smart."

"Yeah, way out of your league Percy," a boy said coming up, his hair wild and curly as if he didn't even think to comb it, which knowing Leo Valdez, he probably didn't. He grinned as he slipped into another chair next to Jason. "I think I'm in love," he sighed.

"You and Percy should start a club," Jason snickered.

"Wait what! You're in love with her?" Percy asked, jerking up out of his seat. How did Leo managed to talk to her and he hadn't?

"No idiot, I'm talking about with Calypso," Leo said, a dreamy look on his face.

"Man, if you think Percy's out of his league, then you shouldn't be talking." Piper said, shaking her head. Calypso was a young movie star who was also seriously gorgeous. She had grown up in the Caribbean with her aunt, since her mother had died when she was little and her father had been sent to jail.

"A guy can dream," Leo said. Piper shook her head and then reached over in an attempt to straighten his crooked mask.

"What are you wearing Leo?" Jason asked, looking over Leo's clothing choice. Percy looked at him as well and then snorted. Leo was known for his strange sense of fashion.

"I'll have you know this is a one of the kind tuxedo shirt, directly from Target," Leo said resentfully as he looked down at the tuxedo shirt. And by tuxedo shirt it meant a shirt designed to be a mockery of a tux. Pair that together with black dress pants, sneakers, a crooked black mask that looked like it was bought from Zurcher's and a tool belt and you got a one of the kind Leo Valdez ensemble.

"Leo you could afford to buy out all of Target and you decide to get clothes from Target?" Piper said, exasperated. Leo shrugged.

"It's comfortable. What do you think Percy, am I right or am I right?" He asked.

"Huh? What?" Percy asked as he looked up from where he was still looking at his cousin and her friend. He knew that he should go and talk to her but he couldn't. Why was it that he was too nervous to talk to one girl? Usually he could have a girl under his thumb with one smooth sentence, but here he was, shaking in his boots about thinking about talking to her.

"Still staring at her?" Nico asked.

"Go and talk to her already," Piper said, leaning back. "She's really nice and I think you'd like her."

"Come on Percy, you deserve someone better than… _RED_." Jason and Leo both shuddered exactly on cue with the mention of Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

"I'm good," Percy tried to insist but Piper studied Percy with her kaleidoscope eyes. They used to joke that Piper saw into your soul, that she saw exactly how you felt. Percy shifted nervously in his seat. She shook her head.

"No you're not." But she let it go at that and turned to Nico to discus something that Percy couldn't care two cents about.

Why couldn't he talk to her?

There was something in the back of his mind that was nagging at him. The last time he hadn't talked to a girl he wanted to, she had disappeared before he got the chance to.

And now he had no idea who she was.

And it was killing him.

He hadn't had the courage to do it. It reminded him of something his mystery letter writer had told him:

_W4W: I want to be courageous, I want to be able to do something that scares me. I want to dance in the rain, I want to walk through the fire. If I never do it then I'll spend the rest of my life wondering: what if? What if I could have done it? What if I took the chance? So I'm not going to live in fear. I'm going to do it. So that I never have to wonder What If._

That's it, she was nagging at his conscience. He'd have to do it now. He stood up and brushed off his black jacket and straightened the blue dress shirt he was wearing. "Where are you going?" Nico asked him.

"I'm going to go talk to her."

The whole table clapped in agreement.

* * *

Annabeth wanted to shoot herself. She didn't understand how Thalia managed to stand there and smile the whole time at the different people who they were talking to. But at least Thalia wasn't getting asked every five seconds to go and dance.

Annabeth hated dancing.

And yet she had been asked by so many men she had lost count. Of course she had politely said no to everyone of them. She had a policy about accepting dance requests with men who wore masks and she couldn't tell who they were.

What if they were a murder? Or a psychopath?

But then again… what if they were her Prince Charming.

Annabeth shook her head. She was tired of trying to convince herself that her fairy tale was going to happen. She had been waiting to for years and nothing good had come her way. Why would it change tonight?

But then again… it was a Masquerade.

Just like Cinderella.

"I'm going to get something to drink," she whispered to Thalia who was busy laughing with some woman in a pale pink and blue dress that fell down her legs with a train behind her, which when she moved shimmered to look like flowers.

"I'll meet you there," Thalia nodded. Annabeth turned on her heels and strode towards the large banquet table filled with so many different foods that it made Annabeth's head hurt. She walked down the table, studying each piece of food. She didn't even know that there was this much food.

And of course with her mind preoccupied, she didn't notice the man walking right towards her.

And of course, being the klutz she was, she collided right into him.

And rather ungracefully at that. She cursed under her breath and then looked at the man whom had half knocked her over and whom she had half knocked over.

Annabeth looked at him and her stormy grey eyes met sea green.

**Eeekkk! So they meet… okay well sort of! Don't worry part two is coming! I'm so excited. I just adore these two together. I know that it sounds kind of corny that Percy's already starting to fall in love with her but I feel like they were meant for each other so of course he's going to feel something for her right away. They're perfect for each other. And anyone who says otherwise is wrong. They remind me of two of my favorite TV show characters: Castle and Becket. Anyone else see how similar they are? Castle and Percy are easy going and sort of crazy and times and Annabeth and Becket are very type A and no nonsense. I don't know maybe I'm the only one that sees it. Maybe I'm the only one who watches Castle… But just saying Castle will never be as good as Sherlock!**

**So this chapter is really light as will the next one be. It's total Percabeth. I felt like you deserved a happier chapter so if you're wondering why it's not as thought provoking that's why. :) I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think, like love or hate. I should get the next chapter up possibly tomorrow because I'm not going to school because I have an appointment with my celiac... ick ick and triple ick.**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post script- Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews and messages if i haven't messaged you back yet i will tomorrow. **

**Oh and for the person who laughed about Allegiant... I have read it! I stayed up until midnight the day it came out reading it and bawling my eyes out. My mom had to take my book away and she kept telling me "It's not real! It's not real!" And then it reminded me of Mockingjay... I hated the ending of Allegiant! Anyone else agree?**


	10. You Keep Dreaming

**Here we go again. The highly anticipated chapter! This chapter is a lot more light and fluffy than I usually write. And it's long. You're welcome. I could have spilt it in two but I didn't. Because I am an Angel of Mercy… hahahaha. Love you all! Also if anyone can think of a song for this chapter let me know! :) **

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

Chapter Ten You Keep Dreaming

Annabeth's eyes met with sea green eyes and she felt her heart pound faster and faster in her chest as she looked at them. It sounded so sappy but there was a familiarity in those eyes that made her feel comfortable, that made her feel wanted.

"Sorry," he said, his voice smooth and rich. He stood up and then offered Annabeth a hand which she gladly accepted. He helped her up.

They stood there, staring at each other for a moment, grey eyes meeting green, storms meeting sea.

And then Annabeth stumbled to make out some words. "Sorry, it was all my fault I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," she said, nervously pulling at her dark blue skirts.

"Neither was I," the man said, grinning. His smile was slightly crooked, she noticed. Not badly but she liked it. It gave him character. "So I guess we're both at fault."

"I guess we are," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "So what are you going to do about it?" She asked. The man smiled at her.

"Offer you a drink," he said. He leaned over and ladled some punch into a glass and then presented it to her with a valiant bow at the waist which was so smooth and fluent it made Annabeth want to smile back at him. She didn't know that people still did that anymore. "For you my lady," he said.

"Thank you my good sir," she said, curtsying to her best of her ability.

"Annie!" Thalia said, running up to them. Annabeth mentally cursed her best friend in her mind. Way to ruin the moment. Thalia seemed to have skill at doing that. Coming in at exactly the wrong moment. Thalia stood in front of the two of them, studying them both. "I see you've met my cousin."

"He's your cousin?" Annabeth asked, pointing at the man. "I never would have guessed, he has much better manners than you do Thals."

Thalia snorted. "That's a first, usually people are complaining about how annoying he is."

"But you know if I was in your position I would introduce two people who don't know each other," Thalia's cousin pointed out.

"I agree with him there," Annabeth said, interested in the man's name. He seemed so familiar but also not at the same time. Was that even possible?

Thalia huffed in annoyance. "Whatever, Annie meet Perseus, Perseus meet Annie," Thalia said, waving her hands in the air. "There, now everyone knows each other. Come on Annie let's go," she said reaching for Annabeth's arm.

"Actually Thalia, I was just about to ask her to dance," Perseus said. Both Annabeth and Thalia's eyebrows shot up.

"You were?" Thalia asked.

"Of course I was, that is if she wants to," Perseus said. Annabeth smiled at him.

"I would love to," she said. He held his arm out for her and she accepted, tucking her own arm in the crook of his own. Thalia huffed in annoyance.

"You're just going to abandon me?" She whined at Annabeth.

"Yep," Annabeth said. Here was her chance.

This was her chance to do something she wanted to do. And nothing was going to stop her.

"Fine, don't do anything stupid you two," Thalia said angrily.

"You worry too much cousin," Perseus called over his shoulder as he led Annabeth onto the dance floor. The music that was playing was a waltz and thank the gods for those few dance lessons back in High School Gym class.

"So your name is Perseus," Annabeth said, trying to strike up a conversation. For someone so good with words, she had trouble coming up with conversations when she was face to face with someone, especially when that someone was extremely good looking and was dancing with her. Written word failed her now.

"Mhmm," he said as he spun her around.

"And your cousin's name is Thalia," Annabeth commented.

"I don't know, I prefer to call her pinecone face," Perseus said, smirking. Annabeth snickered.

"I'm assuming that's because she got stuck in a pinecone tree when she was younger," Annabeth said. Perseus's eyes twinkled. Annabeth liked the color of his eyes, they reminded of her of the sea. There were multiple layers to them, you couldn't tell exactly who he was.

And then of course there was the black mask which didn't exactly help.

"You would assume correctly."

"So did your parents have a thing with Greek names or something?" Annabeth asked. It honestly had been a question she had been wondering for a long time.

"I think the Greek names just come with the territory, I mean her dad's name is Zeus and mine's Poseidon so I guess it's kind of implied that you have a Greek name when you're born into the family. Personally I suspect that they have a long list of baby names and each time one of us is born, they cross out a name."

"Or maybe there's a big book of Greek baby names," Annabeth teased.

"Yes that's it. Brilliant! I mean how else would they come up with all these names?" Perseus asked.

"Mother's intuition?" Annabeth suggested.

"That's what my mom said about me. She named me Perseus because Perseus actually had a happy ending in the Greek myths."

"Ah yes the faults with the Greeks. They really enjoyed their tragedies."

"I know, what's with everyone dying. Honestly why can't they have a happy ending every once and a while? Would it kill the gods to just let the mortals live or something?" Annabeth felt his hands touch her waist and he lifted her up and spun her around. Her dress spread out as he spun her.

She felt light headed.

Was this what it felt like to be a princess? _Get a grip Annabeth_ she scolded herself, but she couldn't help but grin as he set her down. One of her dreams had been to get spun.

"No, they were just writing about reality," Annabeth said, solemnly. "Life isn't always about happy endings."

Perseus's eyes grew soft. "I know what you mean. I've had my own share of hardships in life." There was something in his eyes, something in the way he looked that made her believe him. He had gone through something... something big, just like she had with her step-mother.

"Hey but at least we'll be the strong ones in the end. When it really comes down to it all, we'll be prepared for the really hard times. Others won't be. So I guess we should be thankful," Annabeth said. Perseus looked at her with a strange look in his eyes.

"That sounds familiar to something I heard once," he said. "I read it somewhere."

"You read?" Annabeth said, mocking shock.

"Of course I read," Perseus said indignantly. "Why would I not?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Oh I don't know I would have pegged you as having a brain like sea weed. Hey I like that!" She grinned. "Seaweed Brain!" She laughed. Perseus glowered at her.

"And how did you come up with that nickname?" He asked.

"Well your eyes are like the sea and…" she paused. Gods that sounded too embarrassing. _Oh I thought your eyes were like the sea and beautiful and they make me want to swoon_. "I don't know it just sounded like a good name."

"Well I don't think it does," he said indignantly.

"Even better," she said, grinning.

* * *

As Percy spun the girl whom Thalia had called Annie around the floor, moving in time with the waltz (thank the gods for those few dance lessons back in High School PE class) he couldn't help but smile. And it wasn't the classic smirk that he had worked on perfecting for the cameras; it was a Percy Jackson honest smile.

And he didn't want to stop smiling.

There was something about her, maybe the way she talked or the way she moved, or the way she seemed to think about everything she said. Her conversation wasn't filled with big, meaningless vocabulary made to make her look smart, it was simple and straight to the point.

It was familiar.

When the music stopped playing, Percy and Annie stopped, Annie placing a hand lightly on her chest, breathing in and out hard. "Gods, I am out of shape," she said, grinning.

"Join the club, I keep telling Nico that we should go to the gym but then I realize that actually means working out," Percy said. Annie gave a snort which was highly un-lady like. On any other girl it'd seem out of place, but when Annie did it, it made him smile.

"Nico? Who's that? You're dog?" Annie asked.

Percy turned to look around for him. "I don't know, he doesn't really bear any resemblance to a dog," he said pointing to where Nico was slouched at the table with their friends and now Thalia. He was giving Percy a 'please save me' sort of look.

Annie put her hands on her hips and contemplated him, she shook her head. "No, he's definitely more of a cat." Percy nearly choked. Did she just compare Nico di Angelo to a cat?

"What do you think they're talking about?" Annie asked, looking at the group of young adults in their mid twenties.

"Probably talking about us," Percy said. He liked the way that sounded, _us_. It was one of the small words that his mysterious letter writer had talked about. There was an importance, a beautiful mystery in the word _us_. It was a commitment, it was a promise. He didn't want to use the word _us_ with just anyone. He wanted it to be with the _one_.

And for some reason, Annie didn't make it feel weird.

Annie let out a groan. "Uhg, I don't want to go over there. I don't want to go hear Thalia and all of her fawning over me and how I finally danced with a guy."

Percy gave her a curious look. "How many times were you asked?"

"I lost count after four," Annie said, a small blush creeping up underneath her silver mask. For some reason that statement made Percy feel special, he was the only one to dance with her for this whole night and surely she'd been asked by plenty of handsome people.

And he didn't want to go back and have to share her with his friends. Call him selfish but he didn't want to.

"Then let's not," he decided, grabbing her hand.

It fit perfectly in his.

"What do you mean 'let's not' it's not like we can just disappear into thin air," Annie said, waving her hands in the air.

"Sure it does," Percy said, grinning. He led her into the massive crowd of people, starting to dance to the next song. Sometimes Percy wondered how these people were still upright with how much dancing they did. He was sure they'd wear out their shoes.

Or break a few ankles with the size of heels some of the ladies were wearing.

They ducked underneath arms, dodged between skirts, and slipped through partners, all the while creating a ruckus throughout the dance floor. When they finally came out on the other side of the dance floor near the two large doors that lead to a balcony, Annie was laughing, her hand still tightly secured in Percy's. "Gods we've probably made a bunch of people think we're crazy," she said, brushing away one of her fallen curls from her hair.

"What's life if we don't do something crazy every once and a while, if we don't do anything unexpected?" Percy asked. His words were almost similar to what his letter writer had told him back at Goode High. Annie got a curious look on her face.

"Come on then," Percy said, ignoring it. She'd probably just been thinking about what he was saying. He led her outside into the cold night air. The stars were bright up above, shining down on the two as Percy led her to the back of the balcony. They seemed to twinkle up above as if they knew something, as if they knew fate was playing out right in that moment.

It was the perfect night to tell stories.

Or to create new ones.

There was a little bench in the back of the balcony near a small staircase which led down onto the lawns. "Clever," Annie said as she collapsed onto the bench and kicked her heels off. "I hope you don't mind," she said. "They're positively killing me. I don't know how I got talked into wearing them."

Percy picked one of the shoes up and studied it. "I'm surprised they didn't kick you out for carrying a weapon," he joked.

"Oh please," Annie huffed. "If you think those are bad, you should see half the shoes in there."

"I did, I think a few even stepped on my feet," Percy said, wincing. Annie laughed.

"You poor baby," she said sarcastically.

"I'm glad you finally noticed," Percy said, widening his eyes. "No one else seems to see just how hard it is to be me."

"Oh because it's so hard," Annie said rolling her eyes. Percy was about to respond but he saw her hand slowly creep up to where her neck was. In the darkness, barely lit by a few select torches he could see the outline of what looked like a bruise. It was faint and most people wouldn't notice but Percy had grown used to identifying bruises, a skill he wished he didn't have.

"What's that?" He asked, reaching out to touch it. Annie swatted his hand away.

"It's nothing, I'm just a clutz sometimes," she said dismissively. She reached up and unpinned her hair, letting it tumble down in long curls, kind of like a princess, Percy thought. She looked at the hairpins and then shrugged. "Guess I don't need these," she said, tossing them over her shoulder and onto the lawn.

With her blond hair untamed and wild around her shoulders, Percy thought she looked like a princess who was fighting it, who didn't want to admit it. He liked it. She was too smart to play princess. He bet that when she was little she played doctor or teacher instead of playing princess.

But that wasn't to say every girl needed a Prince Charming. Even if she herself didn't know it.

"Well then we can get rid of these as well," Percy said, shrugging and grabbing her shoes and tossing them over his shoulder. Annie squealed.

"I need those Seaweed Brain!" She screeched. "I can't go back without them!"

"Well what are you going to do about it?" He asked.

"Make you go and get them," she huffed. Percy grinned and headed down the stairs. But he wasn't planning on giving her back her shoes anytime soon.

* * *

Annabeth watched as Perseus headed down the small staircase onto the dark lawn. She peered over the railing of the balcony, her blond curls hanging down and framing her face. "Did you find them?" She called to him.

"I don't know, I could use some help!" Perseus called. "It's pretty dark down here!"

"That's what you get for throwing my shoes!" Annabeth huffed indignantly but secretly she was pleased… and maybe a little bit giddy. She hadn't felt like this since she was kissed in the seventh grade (which looking back on it was an experience she wanted to forget… badly).

Perseus disappeared for a moment under the balcony. "Are you okay?" Annabeth called. She was hoping that there wasn't anything bad under there… or worse… spiders. She shuddered at the thought. "Seaweed Brain?" She called. When he didn't respond Annabeth let out a huff of anger. Leave it to a boy with sea weed for a brain to get lost.

Picking up the hem of her skirt she made her way down the staircase. Underneath was pitch black as she walked through, her bare feet cold in the grass. "Perseus?" She asked. "Where the heck are you?" The dark seemed to close in around her, something so small seeming so big. She shivered as she looked around, her eyes trying to adjust to the dark.

She felt something brush up against her arms and she screeched. She heard Perseus chuckle from behind her as he put his hands over her eyes. "Is someone afraid of the dark?" He asked, his warm breath tickling her ear.

Annabeth spun around and punched him in the shoulder. "Don't do that again!" She said.

"Ow… that kind of hurt," Perseus said, massaging his shoulder. "You have a decent punch… for a girl," he added to the end. Annabeth scowled at him and in the dark she could barely make out his two sea green eyes sparkling. "Why did you screech?"

"You could have been a spider!" She said matter of factly. Perseus laughed.

"You're afraid of spiders?" He asked.

"Of course! They're devils!" She shuddered at the thought of the little beasts. "They're just unnatural… I mean they're not actual insects because they don't fit all the requirements such as…"

"Okay, okay I get it," Perseus grinned. "I didn't come here for a science lecture. I got enough of that in high school."

"You didn't go to college?" Annabeth asked, curious. Who didn't go to college?

"Nah, wasn't really my thing. I have ADHD and Dyslexia so I can't exactly focus very well in class so I decided to skip it. I mean I didn't really want to major in anything and I didn't want to become a doctor or a teacher so why bother? I mean who would honestly want me to teach their kids? I can barely remember who discovered America."

"Techincally it's up for debate," Annabeth said. "Some would say Columbus but others would say the Vikings and some would say…"

"It was a figure of speech," Perseus said.

"Oh… sorry I do that a lot," Annabeth admitted, blushing. Perseus laughed.

"So what about you? You go to college?" Perseus asked.

"Can we finish this outside of a place that could be infested by spiders?" Annabeth asked. The sooner she got out of here, the more comfortable she'd feel.

"Oh come on I'm pretty sure that Zeus would make sure there's no spiders under here, but if it makes you feel better." The two headed out from under the balcony. They found a spot under one of the large trees on the lawn that dwarfed them in comparison as they sat down underneath, their backs against the bark.

"I went to UCLA," Annabeth said. "It wasn't my first choice but it was good enough to get my bachelors in Language Arts. I'm got on an exchange program to NYU so I could get my master's. I start up next fall."

"Why did you come to New York right now, you have almost a whole year before next fall," Perseus asked. Annabeth shrugged.

"I just wanted to come back, I lived in New York when I was younger." What she wasn't going to tell him was that she jumped at the chance to get away from her step-mother, to get away from her past. She didn't want to live like that again. She wanted to follow her dreams and be who she wanted to be. "I'm working at a bookstore right now to pay for my rent and everything. It's not a lot but it's not like I'm feeding a family of eleven or something."

"I'd hope not," Perseus grinned. "You'd be like the little old woman who lived in a shoe. Except you're not old… little maybe but not old."

"Hey!" Annabeth said indignantly. "I'm not little!"

"Oh come on, you're like what sixteen?" Perseus joked.

"I'm twenty five for your information! And I'm five foot eleven! Last time I checked I was abnormally tall!"

"But you're still shorter than me which makes you little."

Annabeth huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. Perseus grinned at her. He poked her in the side. "Oh come on Wise Girl, you know I didn't mean it."

"Wise Girl?" Annabeth asked, her heart stopping for a moment. How could he know her pen name on Writer's Corner? She hadn't told anyone what is was, not even Thalia. And she told Thalia _everything_. Well except for the problem with her step-mother.

There were some things too deep, too close to your heart that you just couldn't share with anyone, be it a name or a memory or bruises on your body.

"Of course, you seem too smart for your own good," Perseus said. "And if I'm going to be a Seaweed Brain then you better be a Wise Girl. You can make up for my lack of brains."

Annabeth laughed.

Never before had someone made her laugh like Perseus did.

* * *

Percy grinned at Annie as she leaned back against the tree next to him, her eyes closed, hiding the stormy grey clouds. He didn't know what possessed him to call her Wise Girl but the way she talked, the way she formed her words was so much like the girl whose story he had been reading and so he thought: why not?

"So what do you do for a living? Or are you like Thalia who just lives off of her dad?" Annie asked him. He grimaced at the mention of his father. Poseidon still had yet to actually publicly claim that the Great Percy Jackson, the American Heart-throb was his son.

Talk about parent problems.

"Unlike Pinecone Face I actually have a job," Percy said indignantly.

"Oh yeah? What is it? Tasting different icecream flavors," Annie said, cracking an eye open and looking at him. Percy crossed his arms.

"For your information Wise Girl, I work with music," he said.

It technically wasn't a lie. "Really?" She asked. "What do you mean?"

"I'm the great Percy Jackson," he said but in such a way that it sounded ridiculous. Percy had found it easier to tell the truth but to make it sound like he was deranged instead of actually serious. It was far easier to keep track of your stories. So whenever anyone asked he'd jokingly tell them he was Percy Jackson. After all, Percy Jackson looked so different on camera than Perseus did.

Annie snorted. "Sure you are," she said, rolling her eyes. "What do you work at a record shop or something?"

"Or something," Percy muttered.

"Don't you wish that you were Percy Jackson though?" Annie asked. That caught him off guard. "I mean why can't we be famous, why can't we be what we want to be? Why do people like _Percy Jackson_ get to have it all while we're stuck working at small stores in New York barely scraping by?" She sighed and tilted her head upwards, the light from the moon and stars glowing on her face.

"I used to think when I was little I'd actually be famous, well not famous, I want to be remembered. I want to be important. I want to change the world. But I can't change the world if I never get the chance can I?" She asked.

"I used to wish on every single falling star I saw, which wasn't that many, I'd toss pennies in the well, I'd blow on dandelions but I guess it didn't work. I guess that dreams don't come true," she snorted. "I used to tell someone not to give up, I told them I wouldn't give up. But I guess I have." She sighed. "Is it worth it? Is the wishing, the dreaming worth it?"

"I used to think it was. But maybe it's not. I've tried everything but it always seems like I'm getting hurt. But I don't know. What else can I do?" Her voice was bitter as she spoke.

Percy stared at her, his heart pounding. Her words were familiar.

They were the ache he felt in his heart.

It was him.

Here he was sitting next to a girl that understood him, who spoke his mind. There was something about her.

And without knowing what he was doing, he leaned forward. Taking her chin in his hands he pulled her so that she looked straight at him, he leaned close to her. "You keep dreaming," he whispered.

And then he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

**OKAY! So they met… eek… what did you think? There was a lot of humor I know but there was some sweet moments as well. And you can tell that Annabeth's bitter… very bitter. She's giving up. But I think Percy's going to pull her up just as she pulls Percy up. I smiled when I wrote a lot of this because I love the banter between Percy and Annabeth. It makes me happy.**

**So what did you think? This was the chapter I was the most nervous about because it's their first interaction. He won't actually find out that she's WiseGirl36 and his mysterious letter writer (oh boy he's lucky! He finds out that all three girls he likes are the same girl!) for a while longer… after all these things do take time! And Annabeth won't find out that he's the Percy Jackson for a bit longer. I love how she just shoots her mouth off… it's something I would do. **

**I didn't want to overdo Percabeth hence why he didn't full on kiss her. I just wanted it to be more witty banter and them laughing and actually living and having a good time together. For those of you who think Percabeth is overdone. Duh! It's Percy and Annabeth! They're perfect for each other! I can't stand Percy with anyone but Annabeth! Personal opinion of course because I'm incredibly similar to Annabeth and Percy is like my biggest fictional crush EVER!|**

**I love all of your lovely reviews. They made me so happy after my game last night (which was the worst basketball game I have ever played in my life… I got 5 fouls and yelled at by my coach and my fifth foul was for hand checking how the heck calls that and the girl I'm fighting against for my position scored a bunch so now I'm really, really stressed…okay now I'm just ranting… ignore me) They also made me happy because today is not going well. My Celiac is being really really stupid. (Can an auto immune disease be stupid?)**

**So wish me luck. And review! Please? Make me happy today?**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Please review. Please? I realized that you all are amazing though. My story has been out for 11 days or so and I already have over 100 reviews and 99 follows. Wow. I am incredibly blessed. This is why I keep dreaming. Because of people like you.**


	11. Keep Your Eyes Open

**Hey Yall. So another update the day after a new chapter… this is what happens when you have Celiac Disease. I have to teach my class how to do something and I'm doing it on how to live with Celiac Disease. So this is a chapter that has a part of Annabeth's story. (For those of you wondering if I'll actually write the story… maybe I will…) **

**I have an Instagram if you want to follow me. It's mainly for my story and I don't think there will be any personal pictures (if you want my actual instagram you have to message me for it) The name is Luna_Incendia14 and it'll have W4W and Percy Jackson and Divergent and book postings and all sorts of fun fangirl stuff. Hope you follow me!**

**Disclaimer- Don't own.**

Chapter Eleven Keep Your Eyes Open

"Percy you have to go to bed," Nico said as he leaned in the doorway of Percy's music studio, yawning. They had finally gotten back from the masquerade at around two in the morning which wasn't unusual for one of Zeus's parties. But what was unusual was for Percy to not instantly collapse on his bed and pass out like a light.

Tonight or was it morning? He went straight for his studio and began playing, scrawling madly in his notebook.

"Not yet, I'm having a moment of brilliance and you know those don't happen much Nico," Percy said, not even looking up at his friend. Nico sighed as he watched Percy flip between different sheets of paper and his notebook. "I have to finish this."

He picked up a piece of paper and read over it. Nico recognized the cursive handwriting. It was a letter. Nico sighed again.

He was back to the letters.

"I found it!" Percy said triumphantly as he waved the letter around in the air. He cleared his throat and began to read: _W4W- People wonder if it's worth it. If love is worth it, if everything in this crazy world is worth it. They wonder how many times they have to wish on a penny or a falling star to actually have something happen to them. Well sometimes you have to actually open your eyes to see what's happening around you. Sometimes you have to actually see around you, you have to see the miracles. You have to keep dreaming. You have to keep looking. You have to keep wondering._

Percy's lips twisted upwards with a smile. "It's the way she writes that moves me in a way no one else can," he whispered as he scrawled something down in his notebook.

"That's nice and all but Percy you have to go to bed," Nico insisted.

"I will… I will," he muttered, his sea green eyes focusing on his papers. Then his pencil stopped in mid stroke. "Did you see the way her grey eyes sparkled?" He said out of the blue. Nico looked at his friend curiously.

"What?" Nico asked. "Are you talking about Thalia's friend?" Percy nodded.

"She's unlike any other girl I've ever met," Percy said. "She didn't faint or scream or try and touch my face as if I wasn't real." He said, smiling at the thought of Annie. After he had kissed her, she had just sat there and smiled at him.

And he had smiled back.

"That's because she didn't know you were Percy Jackson," Nico said.

Percy shook his head, he refused to believe that was true. Annie's opinion of him wouldn't change depending on if his name was Percy or Perseus or Seaweed Brain.

_"Why don't you remove your mask so I can see your face?" Percy asked as he reached up to take off the ornately shaped mask. Annie flinched backwards, her hands flying up to her mask and clutching in securely. _

_"Please don't," she whispered. Percy looked at her curiously._

_"Why not?" He asked. "It's not as if you're hideously ugly under there… or are you?" Annie let out a laugh. _

_"No it's not that. Just please, tonight I want to be liked not for how I look underneath or what my name is. I want to be liked for who I am. So let's not remove the masks. You just be Seaweed Brain and I'll be Wise Girl? Okay?"_

_"Okay."_

"Percy, you need to go to bed," Nico said, coming over. He picked up Percy's notebook as he stared off into space and closed it. "Come on."

Percy allowed himself to led away and to his room where he collapsed on his bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes.

That night he dreamed of grey eyes and stars smiling down on him.

* * *

"I'm going to take my lunch break okay Annabeth?" Malcolm said as he took his coat down from off the coat rack and pulled it on to protect himself from the frigid October air. Over night the weather had gone from calm to freezing cold.

Such was New York.

"Okay," Annabeth said as she looked down at her notebook which lay strewn out on the front counter, her fingers mindlessly twirling her pen as her grey eyes didn't seem to focus on anything.

"And afterwards I think I'll go to the Empire State Building and then maybe see a Broadway Show," Malcolm added.

"Uh huh."

"And then I think I'll take over the world…" Annabeth didn't even flinch. "And then I'll go and rob Fort Knox."

"Technically if you've already taken over the world you won't need to rob Fort Knox, it'll already be yours," she said absentmindedly.

"Annabeth… are you okay?" Malcolm asked, looking at his coworker curiously. She hadn't seemed her usual sharp self today, she seemed to be more focused on something else, something that didn't involve work at all. "Are you sure I should take my break. I could stay here if it made you feel better."

Annabeth sat up straight at this. "Of course I'm fine!" She huffed. "Honestly Malcolm you don't have to worry about me. Go take your lunch break."

"What happened last night?" Malcolm asked. "You seem kind of… off."

Annabeth rubbed her eyes. "I went to a party with Thalia and didn't get back until really late," she said. Of course she didn't mention anything about Perseus.

"Maybe you should go home and sleep," Malcolm suggested. "I'll cover for you, it's not too busy today."

"Don't be silly Malcolm, I'm working today. Now go and take your lunch break already!" Annabeth said, shooing him out the door.

"Okay, okay I'm going," he said, opening the door. He turned to look at Annabeth as he knotted his scarf. "Call me if you need anything or if you need me to come back early."

Annabeth put her hands on her hips. "Honestly Malcolm, just go." Malcolm grinned and then closed the door behind him.

Annabeth went back to behind the counter. It was true, today hadn't been very busy and so she took the time to work on her story for Writer's Corner.

_Hannah sat nervously at the doctor's office, clutching her bag close to her chest. She hated coming here, it was always bad news after bad news, nothing good. _

_But then again how good could it get when you had cancer?_

_Terminal Cancer._

_"Hello Hannah," Doctor Tanner said as he entered into the small room where the nurse had told her to go into. She had become very familiar with this room as she sat there for thirty minutes waiting for Doctor Tanner. Four white walls with a very depressing picture of a wilting plant. A table for the patient to lie on, a counter for different medical supplies, a computer attached to the wall, a stool for the doctor, and of course the two chairs._

_The two chairs that were staring at her right now._

_The two chairs where her parents were supposed to be sitting._

_Where they weren't sitting. _

_"Hi," Hannah replied, crossing her arms and leaning her head back against the boring, white walls. It reminded her of those movies which showed insane people in small rooms with white walls. _

_"How are you feeling?" Dr. Tanner asked, opening his thick folder and pulling out a pen._

_"As well as you can feel when you're dying," she retorted haughtily. Dr. Tanner was her third doctor, two of them couldn't handle her attitude. Her parents had been shocked by the amount of sarcasm she had been hiding._

_Or they _assumed_ she had been hiding._

_Really the just didn't understand her._

_And they were running out of time if they wanted to start._

_"Come on Hannah, that's no way to talk," Dr. Tanner scolded, his brown eyes looking at her. _

_"Well how do you expect me to talk? 'Oh I'm fine today! Just dandy! I'm feeling like I could run a marathon!' Would you prefer that?" Hannah said sarcastically._

_"No. There's no use acting like a Disney Princess." Hannah snorted. "But I'm just trying to help you and you have to let me help you." He looked at her and she saw something in his eyes. It was pity, it wasn't sympathy._

_It was something she saw in her own eyes._

_It was a will to fight._

_"Did you know that not many other doctors wanted to take you on as a patient no matter how much your parents offered," Dr. Tanner said. Hannah shrugged, she figured as much. "Do you know why I decided to do it?"_

_"Because the money was too good to pass up," Hannah said. It was all for the money usually, not about her. _

_"No. I did it because my daughter, Tara, had your same type of cancer. Thyroid. Terminal." Hannah's blood went cold as Dr. Tanner said this. "And you remind me of how she was. She was stubborn and sarcastic and didn't trust anyone."_

_"Did… did she die?" Hannah asked._

_Dr. Tanner smiled. "No. She's happily married with two sons and a daughter. Hannah I know that you can do this, I know that we can do this. But you have to be willing to work with me. Can you do that?"_

_Hannah looked at Dr. Tanner with her forest green eyes, studying him. If her teachers could see her right now, down right glaring at a person older than her they would have been shocked… appalled even. If her friends could have seen the fire blazing in her eyes they would have wondered what had happened to their friend. If Jake could have seen the intensity she held, he would have wondered where his meek and timid girlfriend went, the girl who always seemed to agree with everything he said. If her parents would have seen the stubbornness they would have said she wasn't their daughter._

_But Hannah Alder was going to fight._

_She was sick of being meek and timid. _

_She was sick of hiding behind a mask._

_No one would see her coming._

_But damn it all Hannah Alder wasn't one to be ruled by the opinions of others._

_Slowly Hannah nodded at Dr. Tanner. "Dr. Tanner today I felt a really bad pain in my neck and yesterday I had a hard time at school and my lungs hurt," she said. Dr. Tanner smiled and wrote down what she said._

_No matter what people might think, no matter what they might say._

_Hannah Alder wasn't going down without a fight._

_Birch was in the library._

_Again._

_His friends were beginning to wonder about him. They didn't understand why he kept going to the place where he previously couldn't stand being in for more than five minutes without getting a rash. They didn't understand the importance of the library to him._

_No one did._

_Well except for her._

_The book was exactly where the librarian had said it would be. She of course had given him that curious and slightly scary look that she always gave him. The one that said, "Birch Waters actually knows what a library is?" _

_He wasn't as dumb as he looked. Or acted. _

_He pulled out the book: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and then set it down. He'd check it out and read it. Birch had made a promise to whoever was writing these letters that he would read each of her favorite books so when he finally worked up the courage to talk to her, he'd have something to talk to her about._

_Hands trembling like they did every time he found a letter, he broke the seal and pulled the neatly folded letter out. _

My Dear Old Friend,

I suppose I can call you an old friend now, it has been at least two months. But then again I guess time can be considered relative. Maybe you're still a new friend. Or maybe you are one of my friends, one of my really old friends.

Maybe I know you.

Then again, maybe I don't.

I went to the doctor's yesterday. I have a new one, a Doctor Tanner. He and I made a pact… a deal per say. He would do everything in his power to get me well again as long as I didn't give up. As long as I kept fighting.

Seemed simple enough. I might not look like it at my grand height of 5 ft 4 in. but I am a fighter. I don't like giving up. In fact I hate it. The teachers always commend me on my perseverance, I just call it raw determination not to look weak.

I hate looking weak.

But for some strange, unknown reason, everyone thinks I'm weak. But I'm not. I swear I'm not. No one who goes through cancer in weak.

No one.

I start Chemo soon… which means that I get to start wearing cute hats to school. And then everyone will know that I'm the girl with cancer. And everyone will start looking at me like they're already thinking about things to say at my funeral.

I don't want their pity.

That's one of the things I like about Dr. Tanner. He doesn't look like he pities me, he doesn't ask me what type of flower I want at my funeral or where I want to be buried, he asks me if I'm ready. If I'm ready to fight. And I respond: Of course I'm ready.

I'm not giving in to cancer without a fight.

But I think I've told that to you already.

I'm praying that I can hold out until school ends and then I can start Chemo. I'll tell you another secret about me. I'm a senior. So once I'm done with school well… I'm actually done with school. Why waste my time in college if I'm not going to live to finish it?

No instead I'll do something grand. Maybe I'll climb glaciers in Alaska, or zipline through the Rainforest. I'm going to do something unexpected.

Care to join me?

Thoughts for the Humble: We all love the unexpected. The unexpected moments are the greatest things in life. It's when we're surprised, when we're shocked, when we can't help but grin at it that is when we're truly happy, when we're truly complete. Don't be afraid of the unexpected. Instead be ready for it. Welcome it.

Post Script- Jane Eyre

_Birch looked at the letter and then slipped it into his jacket pocket and pulled the cuffs of his jacket down, making sure his tattoos were covered. The school would have a fit if they saw them, not to mention his father. Birch scoffed at his father-_

"Excuse me I'm looking for a book on … Annabeth?" Annabeth looked up from her notebook. She knew that voice. Oh gods she knew that voice so well.

She had memorized the face that went with it. The white blond hair, the deep blue eyes, the smirk that ever graced the face, the long scar that ran on his cheek from his jaw from when he had slid into home plate in the State Championship Game, winning the game, yet shattering his jaw when he got hit by the ball.

"Luke."

* * *

"I just find shopping absolutely thrilling, don't you Percy?" Rachel Elizabeth Dare asked as she clutched tightly to Percy's arm as they walked down the busy streets of New York City, cameras flashing all around them as reports tried to catch a sight of the "it" couple "Perchel" as they'd been named.

Percy thought it was a terrible, stupid, gods awful name.

"Yeah… thrilling," Percy said. _Almost as thrilling as a root canal. Or a six hour flight._ He had forgotten all about his date with Rachel which was mainly a publicity stunt set up by Dionysus to get his star talent more publicity. It could have been with any pretty model.

But Rachel was more than willing to do it.

And of course she thought the whole thing was real.

How she thought so, Percy had no idea. He barely showed any attention to her. In fact most of the time he tried to keep his distance from her. She wasn't the type of girl he wanted to date. She might have been back in High School but that was a long time ago and he was very different than how he was now.

"I love how there are so many different colors to choose from, it's so hard sometimes and so taxing," Rachel said with a sigh as she flipped her red hair over her shoulder.

"It must be," Percy said. Really? Was this what she thought her problems were? This was one of the reasons he couldn't stand to be around her.

She was shallow.

She had just as much depth as an inflatable pool for toddlers. He knew that his letter writer, WiseGirl36, and Annie all had far more depth than Rachel could ever have over the course of her whole life. That was what happened when you grew up rich and stayed rich.

Percy agreed with what Annie had said last night. You need the trials to be strong. You need the pain to learn how to persevere, you need hurt to learn to be humble. It's what makes you a better person than the rich people. It's what made you special. It's what made you different from people like Rachel.

Maybe the reason that people like Annie weren't rich, was so that they could change the world in ways that Rachel and Percy couldn't. They could be strong. They could be brave.

Percy knew that he wasn't brave.

He was a coward.

That was why he had cut himself, why he had joined the gangs.

He was a coward. Flat out and simple. He was trying to run away from his problems.

In fact he still was.

"I tried to find you at the masquerade yesterday, baby," Rachel purred as she stroked his arm. He wanted to yanks away from her. He was not a cat. "But I couldn't. Why did everyone have to wear a mask?"

_Maybe because it was called a MASQUERADE? _

"I don't know," Percy sighed. He felt his phone buzz in his pant pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a text from Nico.

**GhostKing- Hey ur 4 hrs w/ RED r up. Come back soon! Guys r here. **

Percy sighed with relief. They had planned on four hours, no less, and certainly no more. He was getting out of here as fast as he could.

"Hey look Rachel, I've got to go," he said. "I've got to… work on some song lyrics."

"Okay," Rachel said, sticking her lip out in a pout. "I'll miss you though." And then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Thankfully the one things Rachel respected was Percy's desire to never, ever, not in a million years, be kissed on the lips.

And as soon as he could, Percy got the hell out of there.

* * *

"Luke!" Annabeth said, shocked. "You… you look good," she said. Luke laughed.

"So do you Annie," he said, leaning over the counter and ruffling her hair. "I see you've grown up and got a job."

"Of course I have, did you think I'd still be living with my dad?" Annabeth said indignantly.

"No. I knew you'd get the heck out of there as soon as possible," Luke said with his crooked smile. "So you came back to New York City. And imagine it: us running into each other. It must be fate."

Fate. What a funny word. She'd never really given much thought to the idea of fate. She'd have to think about that one in detail. Was it fate? Or just luck? There was a very distinct difference between the two.

"When's your lunch break Annie?"

"In about an hour."

"Perfect, we'll meet up at the little diner at the end of the street. I'll see you then." And then Luke leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "It's great to see you again Annie," he said.

And then he turned and left, leaving Annabeth stunned in what had just happened in the last two minutes.

What the hell had just happened?

**Okay so first off, correction time. Annabeth is actually not 25… she's 22. Oops… I made a mistake. Wow… and I thought I was perfect. Haha. Just joking. Once again this is just a filler chapter. There's a bit more of Annabeth's story. The two main characters are Hannah Aspen (in honour of the book Thirteen Reasons Why which is an amazing, incredible book that I've based some of Annabeth and Hannah's character after) and Birch Waters (in honour of the Fault in Our Stars which is also where I sort of based Hannah's character off of). Don't laugh at the name Birch, it's in honour of my friend. Not because I'm a tree-hugger. (No offense if you are! One of my friends is… well okay she's not really a friend… more of an annoying classmate who thinks she's my friend… anyone want to guys what her name is? I'll give you a hint it's similar to the german word for revenge. If you want help watch the first Sherlock episode).**

**So what did you think? Yay, nay? It's a filler chapter remember. **

**So you met Rachel. I don't know why but I've always not liked her. She annoys the living daylight out of me even when she became the oracle. ( I think she and Octavian should get together because they both annoy me). Oh and you met Luke! I'm not against Luke but then again I'm not completely for. (My sister Izzy has a big crush on Luke and on Jake Able… me? I liked him as Mark and Luke but it's not like I'm crazy about him. Now Logan Lerman on the other hand…) I'm not for Thuke because I feel like Luke liked Annabeth in the stories not Thalia. (as seen when he asks if she loved him).**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Please find me on Instagram! Luna_Incendia14!**


	12. Fate

**Chapter Twelve! So this chapter is another filler chapter… it offers background and history and stuff… and some humour. Don't worry the story won't always be so light and fluffy there will be meat to it. I have a beautiful dialogue written between Annabeth and Percy about the Letter Writer which I can't wait to share with you all. This chapter also involves a lot of computer messages between Percy and Annabeth. Computer messages are bolded with their names at the front of each message. It just gets tedious to write: "percy received a message and read it… he sent one back…" every single time and it's not very interesting is it?**

**Disclaimer- Once again I have to write this. I don't own Percy or Annabeth or Thalia or Nico or anyone. Oh and I sadly don't own Taki's either :(**

**Chapter Twelve- Fate**

"So how did you manage to get a job at Olympian Scrolls? My friend Ethan tried to get a job there a while ago but Athena turned him down right on the spot. He didn't even hand her his résumé. She just pointed at the door and he left," Luke asked as he and Annabeth sat in a booth at Taki's, the diner down the street. He picked up one of his French-fries and popped it into his mouth.

Annabeth shrugged, stirring her mango smoothie (what diner had smoothies she didn't know, but she adored Taki's and their ability to have every sort of food you wanted). "I don't know. I think it has something to do with the grey eyes. All of us have them that work there," she laughed. "Honestly I have no idea how I got the job. She asked me some really weird questions about why I sat in the chair I picked and then who my favorite author was and stuff. And then she read some of my writing."

"Your writing?" Luke asked. "Are you still writing?"

Annabeth blushed and nodded. "Just a little," she said, holding up her index finger and a thumb to demonstrate.

"Have anything published yet?" She shook her head. "Shame, I always like the character of Orion," Luke said, referring to the Descent of Darkness. "I honestly thought it should have been published if it was only for Orion alone."

Annabeth laughed hesitantly. What she would never admit was that Orion was based off of Luke a little. "That's what Thalia said."

"Ah yes and how is the great daughter of Zeus?" Luke asked.

"So you know about that too," Annabeth said. Luke laughed.

"Please Annie, who doesn't know about Jason and Thals? It was one big publicity stunt to boost Zeus in the eyes of the public. Hera of course wasn't too happy about it."

"Hera?" Annabeth asked. "I'm sorry but I'm not too up to date with New York social gossip."

Luke smirked. "It's not as if it's that important. It's not going to make world peace or anything… more like cause World War 3. Okay so here's the quick low down Annie. Hera was Zeus's first wife whom he then divorced to marry Thalia and Jason's mom…" he paused a minute and tapped his chin. "Gods I always forget her name. Anyway when Zeus got bored of their mom when Thals and Jase were only little, they divorced. Zeus then got back together with Hera and remarried her."

"So he's been married three times?" Annabeth asked. Luke nodded.

"With a bunch of affairs on the side. Of course Poseidon's no better. He's never been married."

"What?" Annabeth exclaimed loudly. Everyone in Taki's gave her a strange look and she looked down at her smoothie.

"Quiet Annie," Luke snickered. "Anyway, Poseidon's never been married so technically the great Percy Jackson is a bastard."

"Don't call him that!" Annabeth hissed. She didn't know why she was sticking up for Percy Jackson but he couldn't help who his parents were. It wasn't his fault his father was an idiot.

"I'm just using the politically correct term Annie," Luke said.

Annabeth sighed and brushed a strand of blond hair out of her eyes. "Can we talk about something else? What are you up to?"

Luke all of a sudden beamed… which was something Annabeth hadn't seen him do since they were super little. "I work at Titan Inc. under Kronos himself."

"Kronos? Who's that?" Annabeth asked. Luke's eyes suddenly flashed dangerously.

"Only the greatest inventor of all time. He invented so many different timing devices and weaponry for different countries that he's a billionaire. And he chose me out of all the different people who tried to get the job, to be his assistant."

"Wow that's great Luke!" Annabeth said earnestly… even though she still had no idea who the heck Kronos was.

"I know," he said smugly. Annabeth rolled her eyes. Luke always had a massive ego. It was self-detrimental sometimes.

"So where are you staying?" Luke asked.

"Um… at Janus' Doors. It's an apartment building near Central Park," Annabeth said.

"Do you have a view?" Luke asked.

"Oh yes, a very beautiful one… of the neighboring building's wall," she shrugged. "But it works and it's cheap."

"You could always stay with me," Luke said suggestively. Annabeth sighed, here it was. She was waiting for it. Waiting for him to try and snatch her up… just like he did in High School at Goode. He always thought that he could. He always thought that she was still just a little girl like how they met in the park when she was seven.

"I'm fine Luke," she said. "And I think my lunch break's over." She stood up and smoothed her shirt down.

"Oh come on Annie," Luke said in a voice which was his closest to a whine.

"Goodbye Luke," she said firmly and then strolled out of Taki's with her head high.

* * *

"Hey," Percy said as he stepped out of the elevator and straight into his and Nico's penthouse. He dropped his keys in a bowl by the elevator, a habit he had ever since his mother did it.

"What's up Percy?" Grover Underwood, one of Percy's oldest and closest friends from Goode High said from where he was lounging on the couch next to Leo. Grover had always looked mature for his age back in Junior High, with the faint outline of a goatee when he was only in seventh grade but then once everyone else hit puberty they caught up with him and he looked younger than them all now… as he still suffered from severe acne.

"What are we watching today?" Percy asked, flopping down in his favorite chair which everyone knew not to sit in.

"The Great Gatsby," Beckendorf, a tall and burly African America said from his spot on the floor. At six ft six, he had played basketball for the New York Nicks as their starting center three years ago and was twenty six, a good four years older than most of the group. He had joined the group when Percy had sung the nation anthem at one of his games and the two had really hit it off well. Now he ran a club with his excessive amount of money from his basketball career.

"Who's choice was it this time?" Percy moaned. There was only one person in the group who would choose the Great Gatsby over Iron Man 3 or Wolverine… or really any movie with any decent action scene.

Jason raised his hand guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Piper and I watched it together and I thought you'd all enjoy it," Jason said.

"Come on Sparky, you'd thought we'd enjoy a movie based off a Classic book?" Percy groaned from his seat.

"It has Spiderman in it?" Jason said, trying a different approach. All the guys groaned.

"Why do we let him choose the movie?" Grover asked.

"Because that was the rules of guy's night," Nico said. "And it's always been the rules, we rotate who gets to choose." Sometimes Percy wished Nico didn't go by the rules so much.

"At least tell me we ordered pizza from Taki's," Percy said. Taki's was the only place Percy would get pizza from in New York.

"It'll be here within the hour," Leo said, grinning. "And I made sure to get the good type unlike lightning boy over here," he said, nudging Jason.

"So how was your date with RED, Percy?" Beckendorf asked. Percy groaned.

"I wish to erase those four wasted hours of my life from my mind. Do not remind me."

"That bad," Grover said sympathetically.

"She made me help her decide which lip stick went best with which dress," Percy said.

"Girls do that?" Jason asked curiously.

"Normal girls don't, crazily weird ones, yes," Percy scowled.

"Oh come on Percy, Rachel isn't crazily weird," Nico said.

"If you think she's not, then you can have her," Percy said, glowering at Nico. Nico turned paler than he normally was… if that was even possible.

"No… I'm good. I think you two make an excellent couple," Nico choked out.

"Look I don't want to talk about RED, can we just start the movie already?" Percy asked, slumping in his seat.

Anything was better than Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

* * *

"I love you Daddy," Annabeth said, as she sat crossed legged on her couch, her plate of pasta on the table in front of her, the book she was currently reading: The Count of Monte Cristo, turned upside down to mark her place and her notebook spread out beside her.

"I love you too Sweet Heart," Fredrick Chase spoke into the phone. "You call me if you need anything, anything at all okay?"

"Okay," she said, though it wasn't as if she'd do it. She was not going to take charity from anyone, even if it was her own father.

"Well I have to go now, I love you," he spoke, somewhere across the country.

"I love you too," Annabeth whispered as Fredrick hung the phone up on her. She sighed and turned her phone off, flipping it closed. She set it down on the table in front of her and stared at her pasta. If her father really did love her why didn't he see the bruises she got at night? Why didn't he see the way her step-mother treated her?

Why didn't he see her mask she was wearing?

Annabeth reached for her pen and scrawled a new W4W down on the piece of paper:

_W4W- The ones who love us the most will be able to see through our masks. They'll be able to realize when we're hurting, when we're aching inside. And even more, they'll feel our pain as if they're suffering through it with us. They'll cry with us as if they really can feel the knife cutting through their skin like it is ours, they'll feel the sorrow when one of our loved ones dies as if it was their own. Because when they love you, they will do anything and everything for you. If it's being a shoulder to cry on or if it's forcing you to carry on when you don't want to. They will be there for us._

Annabeth yawned and picked up her bowl of half eaten pasta. She carried it with her to the kitchen, covered it with a paper towel and put it into the fridge, she'd eat it some other time. She hit the lights in the kitchen and the living room and then padded into her little loft area where she slid into her bed.

But she couldn't sleep.

So instead she turned on her laptop and looked at reviews for the Letter Writer.

And that was when the message popped up.

* * *

"Percy I'm heading to bed," Nico called from his room.

"Okay!" Percy yelled back. He was currently laying on the middle of the wooden floor in his bedroom, staring up at the ceiling… doing nothing… absolutely nothing. The guys had left an hour ago after the movie and a whole lot of pizza and soda which then led to belching wars… which then led to icecream. It felt good to be almost… normal.

Except for the fact that he was hanging out in a million dollar penthouse, with NBA stars and Rich Kids and he himself was musical prodigy.

But those were only minor details.

Percy suddenly jerked up. "Nico!" He called.

"What Percy?" He yelled back.

"We're still visiting Tyson tomorrow right?"

"Yes Percy! Now go to bed!"

But Percy couldn't sleep. He had too much on his mind. He stood up and trudged to where his i-pad was on his king sized bed. He flopped down onto the bed and turned it on and then logged onto Writer's Corner.

There were new chapters posted for the Letter Writer, a story which he now found himself completely captivated by. There was something about the way the writer used her words, the way she crafted her sentences, every word had a purpose.

**WiseGirl36: And another chapter done. Finished. Completed. Concluded. Accomplished. Ended. And every other simile you can think of. What did you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Feeling this urge to toss it into the trash? Let me know. Please? Message me. I like messages. It makes me know I'm not alone.**

When Percy read that last line, he felt a tug in the bottom of his gut. He clicked on the message button and typed in WiseGirl36.

**Hi. I wanted to tell you that there are good stories in the world. And there are great stories in the world. And then there are the stories that make your insides be turned inside out and your every thought questioned. Your story is one of those. It makes me laugh and smile and cry at the same time. Is that even possible? I just wanted to let you know that you're doing something amazing here, something that I can't describe and something that the world needs to see. Not just the internet. ~GreenEyes&BlueCoke**

Percy sat back in his chair and was surprised that two minutes later a message popped up. It was from WiseGirl36. He clicked on it.

**Hey. Do you know how much that message means to me? It means the world. Every little word in that message means the world to me. Little words are important after all. I know what you mean by the stories and I'm flattered that you would think of myself in the same category as some of the greatest authors in the world. Disney movies make me laugh, cry, and smile at the same time… it's quite embarrassing… especially when you're in a theater with a bunch of people. I don't know about the world. The world seems so big at sometimes. I'm not sure I'm ready. How do you become ready for the world? ~WiseGirl36**

Percy smiled and then typed back his response.

**Make it smaller. That's my answer, to quote Superman's mother. Make the world smaller, it doesn't have to be big. Just think about it. The world is made up of people like you and me, just a lot of them all together. That's all. Your words are inspiring. Why hide them? You want to be a legend. You want to leave a legacy. So do it. If you don't do it, then you spend the rest of your life regretting not doing it, trust me, I have personal experience. Some things seem scary at first but if they're not scary then they're not worth it. The greatest things usually come from the things that scare you the most. ~GreenEyes&BlueCoke. PS Birch is amazing and I love your sarcasm for Hannah.**

A message popped back. It was weird, knowing that somewhere else in the world, this girl, this genius with words, was sitting at a computer talking to him… and she probably would never guess that she was talking to Percy Jackson.

**WiseGirl36: I liked that movie. The guy that was Superman was cute. I'll try your advice. Making the world smaller… perhaps I'll think about it in terms of science. I'll compare it to the sun… then I'll make it very, very small. J Or is that not a good idea? I've always been the nerd of the class after all. What experience if you don't mind me asking? And I agree with your last part, the greatest things usually come from the scariest times. It reminds me of something I wrote. T4H (thoughts for the humble): ****_You can't wait for the calm in the storm. The greatest things that have happened, happened in the midst of war, struggle, pain, in the middle of the storm. It's when we're overcome with fear that we truly realize beauty. It's when we're facing Death that we truly realize just how important life is_****. I don't know, trials are here for a reason. Fear is here for a reason. I think fear is healthy. Without fear we'd just be stupid. It's as simple as that. ~WiseGirl36 Post Script- I'm glad you like Birch, I really like him too. He makes me smile. And Hannah is so strong. Who's your favorite other than those two? Please don't say Jake. If you do I'll strangle you.**

**GreenEyes&BlueCoke: Leave it to a girl to only like the movie because the main guy is "cute". Way to take things literally WiseGirl. Nerd of the class you say? I could tell. You have a vocabulary that my English Teacher would envy… then again my English Teacher was my mom's boyfriend at the time. Is that weird or no? My experience… well they say the first part of overcoming your fault is admitting it… or something like that. I fell in love with a girl. We had a very strange relationship… I never once talked to her. And then she moved away before I had the chance to. Now I wish I did. Everyday I wish I did. I hate living with the "what ifs" in life. Your quote is amazing. Where the heck do you come up with these ideas? They're like freaking genius! ~GreenEyes&BlueCoke PS Favorite character between those two? Hard… I like Dr. Tanner… and I also like Gil, Birch's best friend. Something about him… I don't know. I just like him. How would you strangle me?**

**WiseGirl36- He was British okay!? I have a thing for guys with accents. And of course I have a big vocabulary! It's what happens when you read Trixie Belden when you're in first grade! Um… a teacher who's also dating your mom… that's not weird at all… how did you manage? That's a sad story. My biggest thing that I regret is my not sticking up for myself, for not doing what I want to do, for being a pushover. But not anymore! I refuse to be. I want to follow me own dreams. Oh yippee I'm a freakin' genius! Well then… that's a lovely compliment. ~WiseGirl36 Post Script- Oooooo! I love Gil! The minor characters really make a story. And I would strangle you with my punjab lasso of course… duh. I'd wait until you were alone and then I'd strangle you will my lasso… it doesn't leave any fingerprints.**

**GreenEyes&BlueCoke: What is with girls and British accents? Honestly. What the heck is Trixie Belden? It was super weird… my mother would always ask me to give Paul something (his name is Paul) during class and he'd usually ask in the middle of class how my mom was and if they were still on for dinner (as if I knew about their plans!) But Paul's an awesome guy and after my mom's previous experiences with men, she deserves him. I'm glad you're going after your dreams. What are they? Mine is to take over the world of course. ~GreenEyes&BlueCoke PS Wow… um you have this all figured out don't you? Wait what's a punjab lasso?**

**WiseGirl36: British guys are hot okay? You're just jealous. And Trixie Belden… well it's like Nancy Drew but I'm pretty sure you don't know what that is either. I'm glad your mom's happy now. Everyone deserves to have their happily ever after (but for the record if your happily ever after involves murder or anything sick and twisted like that… you're messed up and need help). My dream is to write… as you can probably tell. It's that simple. I want to write and inspire and dream. I can't imagine a better job than being paid to do what I love. I'm sure you want to take over the world… I think every boy does. Well I have to go to bed. Seriously… I have work tomorrow morning and I had a super late night last night with an incredible guy… okay that just sounds wrong but it wasn't like ****_that_****. ~WiseGirl36 Post Script- Seriously! You don't know what a punjab lasso is? Well that's your homework. Figure it out. Post Post Script- Goodnight and sweet dreams GreenEyes&BlueCoke. **

**GreenEyes&BlueCoke: Good night WiseGirl36. Keep Dreaming. **

* * *

Sometimes in life there's this funny little thing called fate.

What is fate? Well fate is when two people who had met through letters back in high school then meet again at a Masquerade and then rediscover each other online all without knowing that it's each other. Fate is drawing to people together.

Fate is love.

And one cannot fight fate just as one cannot fight love.

Because love consumes all. Love is burning. Love is fire.

That night, under the same starry sky in New York City, two people fell asleep with smiles on their faces, Percy Jackson, the greatest young musician of this day and age, and Annabeth Chase, a girl who wanted to write.

And Percy fell asleep dreaming of grey eyes like storms and Annabeth fell asleep dreaming of green eyes like the sea.

And fate was at work.

**What did you think? Right now I don't have as much depth as the beginning did but I always like comic relief as well in my stories. Stories that are too dark aren't fun at all. **

**The Great Gatsby reference is because Fitzgerald used every single word in his book with a purpose, every word… even the little words. It reminded me of Annabeth so I used it… sue me. And I could only think of Jason as being the one to suggest it because Piper made him watch it and he actually liked it. I love the Great Gatsby to be honest. The meaning behind it is so deep. So deep. **

**Anyone know what Taki's is? It's from a different book and I'm completely in love with that place… except in this story they don't serve any raw meat or blood… hahaha.**

**So anyone want to guess what a Punjab lasso is? Anyone? Brownie points to anyone who knows it as well as somehow being honored in the next chapter… But I bet no one knows what it is… (And no using the Google is not fair! You have to have actually read the book!)**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- the next chapter is about the Jackson family. I'm so excited. There's a special W4W from a reviewer who will be revealed in the next chapter. That reminds me. If you have a W4W let me know! It can be a quote or idea and I'll expand it into a W4W and I'll let everyone know it was your idea! Please message it to me because I don't always catch them in the reviews… I know I know bad me.**

**Post Post Script- Also anyone have any song ideas for this story? I want to come up with a playlist. Thanks!**

**Post Post Post Script- Find me on Instagram! Luna_Incendia14**


	13. This is My Family

**Okay quick AN. Please, please, please read the Author's note at the bottom of this chapter, it has to do with some stuff I need you to read. Please? I need help and support. Please? It's why I haven't written in like forever!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own.**

Chapter Thirteen This is My Family...

Percy got off the subway and self consciously fixed his baseball cap and sunglasses. Nico was right behind him but with his dark black jacket and pants, long hair over his eyes and pale skin no one would think twice about Nico. He was just some random Goth kid.

But Nico was not Goth.

He made that very clear to Percy when they first met.

"Why do we always take the subway?" Nico complained as they had gotten stuck in the tunnel for an extra fifteen minutes… or at least that was what they had deciphered from the voice on the intercom which sounded more like a monster than a voice.

"Because… it makes me feel normal," Percy said hesitantly as he looked around at the people who sat in the subway, sighing. To them it was just another delay, something keeping them from work, or from school, or from family. Behind each of the different faces there was a story, a story that Percy wanted to know.

_W4W: When I walk down the street and I see a person I remember one thing: everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something hard, something that has changed them in one way or another. I may not be able to see it on the outside but its there on the inside and they feel it and they're hurting from it so I have to remember I can't judge them. They're going through something just like me. _

He looked at the man who sat across from him, his face focused on a text message or email he had received on his smart phone, what was his story? Or what about the woman who was gripping onto a pole, clutching the hand of a little child? What was hidden behind those calm masks? They probably rode the subway every day, not even stopping once to think about what they were doing. No one else probably gave them a second glance.

And yet they were human. They were living beings who deserved to be noticed, who deserved to have their stories be told. Before he had read those letters he wouldn't have given a second thought about those people on the subway, he probably would have thought that the kid was an annoying brat and the man was a workaholic. Now he saw people, he saw people living, having their own stories just like he did.

And for some weird reason, he cared now.

His world was bigger than just a population of one: himself. Now it involved people around him.

When they finally got out from underneath New York, Percy and Nico headed down the street towards the Jackson Family apartment. The first thing Percy had done with his money from his music was buy a better apartment for his family.

A much better apartment.

Before Sally Jackson was working at a candy store at Grand Central Station just to squeeze by. When she had been married to Smelly Gabe as Percy had dubbed his step-father, her job was what kept them afloat. How Gabe had managed to keep his job as manager of an electronic store, would remain a mystery to Percy.

Sally would work early mornings to late nights, coming home tired and yet she never once raised her voice when Percy and Gabe got into an argument… which was often, she always had time for Tyson and his ramblings about his school, she always had time to be a mom.

And that was why Percy believed that she deserved everything in the world. Everything.

One day, Smelly Gabe didn't come home from the bar. The next day the police officers showed up at their doorstep with the "tragic" news. There had been a brawl and Gabe didn't make it out. They had offered them their condolences.

That night, Percy celebrated.

Things finally started looking up when Sally met Paul Bolfis (whose last name sounded suspiciously like blow fish), an English teacher at Goode High School. Percy thought he was a good match for his mom.

And while English teachers didn't make millions, they were comfortable.

But Percy wanted to give his mother everything she never had, starting with a house.

Percy knocked on the door for their apartment. Paul opened the door and smiled. "Percy! We're glad you could make it," he said, reaching out to shake Percy's hand. They had long ago agreed that Percy wasn't one for hugs. Paul was fine with that. That was one thing Percy admired about Paul, he didn't try and replace Percy's dad. Then again Percy's dad was a jerk…

"Glad I could make it too," Percy said, taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into his back pocket.

"Hello Nico," Paul said, shaking hands with Nico.

"Mr. Bolfis," Nico said. Sally and Paul had become the family that Nico had never had. When his sister died, Nico was left all alone, working his way through the foster care system, as his mother had died in a freak hotel explosion when he was younger and he had no idea who his father was.

"Tyson's so happy that you two could come today, he's been bouncing off of the walls…literally," Paul said as the three of them walked into the large apartment to the kitchen where Sally was busy making hot chocolate.

"Percy!" She said as she turned to see her son walk in through the door. Percy's heart always ached when he saw his mom. Some people thought that only wimpy boys loved their moms once they got out of middle school, but Percy would openly admit it: his mom was the world to him.

"Hey Mom," he said as he gave her a hug, his tall and lean 6 foot 3 inches frame dwarfing his mom's small form. He breathed in the familiar scent of his mom's shampoo and her favorite vanilla candle that was always burning.

"Sit down, sit down," she said, smiling at her son and pointing at the table. "Hi Nico," she said, not forgetting about her son's best friend. He gave her a hug as well, Sally Jackson had a skill in making everyone feel and home and wanted.

"Hi Mrs. Jackson," he said as he sat down next to Percy.

"Do you two want any hot chocolate? It's starting to get cold outside," she said as turned back to the stove and stirred the boiling mixture of chocolate and milk.

"Sure Mom," Percy said.

"There are cookies too," Sally said as she ladled two mugs of hot chocolate and put them down in front of the two boys. She set a plate of blue cookies down in front of the two of them.

"Thanks Mom," Percy said. Nico echoed his thanks as he bit down into a chocolate chip cookie. One of the only things that could make Nico smile were chocolate chip cookies and blue cake. Most people wouldn't think he'd have a sweet tooth like he did.

"Paul went to get Tyson," Sally said as she sat down next to Percy, blowing a stray brown strand of hair away from her face. "He was busy working with his tools."

Tyson had been a natural metal worker, it was almost as if he could touch metal and it would bend however he wanted it to. People were always shocked that Sally and Paul let Tyson handle such dangerous tools but they never could look past the outer image or past his speech impediment.

No one could, Percy realized. They only saw the outer shell of a person.

"How have you been Percy?" Sally asked, looking over her son.

"Fine," Percy said, looking down at his hot chocolate.

"So you and Rachel?" Sally asked. Percy winced, he knew that question was coming and he had been dreading it.

"Yeah… me and Rachel," Percy muttered.

"Percy's not too keen on the whole Rachel thing," Nico explained.

"Then why are you dating her?" Sally asked. Percy gave a half hearted shrug. Sally raised an eyebrow. "I see," she said. "Why not date someone you like Percy? Honestly who cares what the media thinks? Love isn't about cameras and front page magazines and all that, it's about what's inside your heart Percy. You need to stop messing around and figure it out."

Percy suddenly became very interested in his cookie… one of the chocolate chips looked like Texas.

"Well he met at girl at the masquerade party we went to a few days ago," Nico volunteered. Percy shot him a dark glance.

"Oh really?" Sally asked. "What was her name?"

"I don't remember, she was one of Thalia's friends… what was it Perce? Agatha? Angie?"

"It was Annie," he said, thinking back to the blond haired beauty who had seemed to light up the room whenever she entered. He really should have gotten her number, looking back on it all.

"Yeah! Annie! That's right. Anyway Mrs. Jackson, her and Percy spent the whole evening together," Nico said.

"Look can we please stop discussing my love life?" Percy sighed.

"Percy has a love life? I'm surprised," Paul said as he came into the room, grabbed a cookie from the plate and popped it into his mouth.

"Ha ha Paul, very funny," Percy said.

"Tyson should be coming any-"

"Percy!" A loud voice rumbled through the whole house as a tall boy came running into the room and launched himself at Percy, tackling him into a hug.

"Whoa! Hey there big guy," Percy said, as he patted his half-brother's back.

"You came!" Tyson said, not letting go.

"Of course I did," Percy said. "Uh… Tyson…choking," he struggled to say. If not for his accident, Tyson could have made the perfect defensive linebacker in football.

"Sorry," Tyson said as he let go of Percy, grinning. "We are going to see fish ponies today?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah big guy, we're going to the aquarium." Tyson always had a thing for aquatic animals just like Percy had a thing for the water, for the sea.

There was something enticing about the sea, something that seemed to speak to him. His mother used to tell him that the sea ran through his veins. There was something powerful about the ocean that made him feel even bigger. The ocean scared many with its vastness but Percy couldn't help but feel bigger and more powerful when he looked at the ocean. There was something about the sea that called to him, that spoke to him.

It reminded him of something in the story he was reading by WiseGirl36, The Letter Writer:

_T4H: I went to the ocean the other day, one of my items on my bucket list. And I stood there. I just stood there for a good half hour with my feet in the water, lapping at my legs and the waves rolling up onto the shore. There's something about the ocean, something so great and awe inspiring that I couldn't move. I was captivated by the beauty of it all. For a girl that has never seen the ocean it was a big moment to look out at the horizon and realize just how big the world is. I wanted to almost cry. So let yourself be captivated. Let yourself feel those amazing moments in life. Let the tears well in your eyes. Don't hold the emotions back. There is a greatness and a beauty in the big things in life just as there is in the small things. Sometimes we just have to understand and look. (_**AN: Okay so for those of you who are a bit confused. This is an excerpt from the Letter Writer, the story which Annabeth is writing about Hannah and Birch. It's a Thoughts for the Humble).**

"Yeah! And then we can eat peanut butter!" Tyson said. Percy laughed.

"Yeah and then we'll eat peanut butter Tyson, why don't you go get your coat on," he suggested. Tyson lumbered off to find his coat.

"Thank you Percy and Nico for taking him. He's been asking about you ever since we saw you on TV performing during Good Morning America," Sally said.

"Oh yeah… what did you think about that?" Percy asked.

"I enjoyed it," Sally said, pursing her lips. Percy had a feeling there was something else behind those words but he let it go.

"At least you weren't spouting curse words every other line like some of the other performers," Paul said as he pulled out a massive pile of grading from a brief case that he had used even when Percy went to school at Goode.

"I am ready!" Tyson said. Nico stood up and Percy pulled out his sunglasses and put them on along with cramming his baseball cap on his head. Nico stuck his tongue out at Percy.

"Okay then, let's go big guy," Percy said, clapping Tyson on the back.

* * *

"So you really ran into Luke again?" Thalia asked as her and Annabeth walked through Central park, their coats wrapped tightly around their bodies and a steaming cup of coffee in each girl's hand. Annabeth nodded and took a long drink of the coffee. "As in our Luke?"

"Is there any other Luke Castellean you know of Thalia?" Annabeth asked, her boots crunching on the leaves on the pavement. Thalia let out a low whistle.

"Who would have thought you'd meet old scar face after all these years," Thalia said, kicking at a pile of leaves the wind had blown together.

"Oh come on Thalia, you liked Luke," Annabeth said.

"Sure I liked Luke, before he used you and then tossed you out like Tuesday's trash," Thalia grumbled. Annabeth winced at the memory of High School. "What did he want? To get in your pants again?"

"Shut up Thalia," Annabeth said. "He just wanted to talk and he never did anything like that at Goode." There was still a part in her that wanted to defend her best friend from when she was younger, the boy with the bright blue eyes that promised he'd always be her family.

"Come on Annie, we all know that's what he was planning to do. He was using you! I don't trust him around you," Thalia said stubbornly.

"I can take care of myself Thals, I'm not a little girl anymore," Annabeth said just as stubbornly. _And I don't need him anymore_.

The only reason she had dated Luke when she was at Goode was because Luke felt safe. Luke felt like home. And that's all Annabeth wanted: home. She wanted to feel safe and she wanted to feel wanted. She thought that home meant where someone loved her. She thought that was Luke.

But then when she found out that he hadn't even been serious about her, that he had just been using her for a stupid bet, that he had been dating the cheer captain at the same time, that he never had even thought of her as pretty, she called herself stupid. She should have known it was too good to be true.

And it was then that she realized something about home.

_W4W: We live in this world. It could have been any other world but this is the one we call home, this is the one we were destined to live in. They say home is where the heart is. But I say home is where you choose your heart to be. It's not someone else's choice, it's ours. It could be at the park underneath the stars, it could be at the library, words comforting you more than kisses could, it could be at school, surrounded by the ones who care about you, it could be at that corner shop where you had your first ice cream that made you smile, it could even be where you had your first kiss, where you thought that you couldn't be happier. It could be any place, any place at all. No matter where it is, you call it home. It's home. This world, this world is what I call home. My home._

Home was a place that meant something to you in great significance and she didn't need Luke for her to have a home. Her home was when she had a pen in her hand and a piece of paper in front of her, her home was when she was with Thalia laughing, her home was when she was at Olympian Scrolls with Malcolm. Her home was when she was working on The Letter Writer. Her home was what she wanted it to be.

It wasn't with her step-mother, it wasn't with Luke, it wasn't what people tried to tell her it should be. It was where _she_ wanted it to be.

She would make that choice.

"I still can't believe that out of all the bookstores he could go to he chose yours," Thalia said, "It just seems too weird."

Annabeth began to hum.

"Oh no you don't! You do not start humming It's a Small World on Me!" Thalia said, punching her in the arm.

"Thals! You nearly made me spill my coffee!" Annabeth complained.

"Come on, don't you think it's the least bit weird that it was your book store and not some other book store? I mean there's got to be dozens in New York."

"Yes Thalia, I believe that my ex-boyfriend from High School who is also my ex-best friend from elementary school is stalking me," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again Annabeth, that's all," Thalia said. "I don't want him to use you again." She looked at Annabeth with such a pained expression that Annabeth bit the inside of her lip for being so sarcastic.

"Don't worry Thalia, I'll be fine," Annabeth said. "I'm not afraid of Luke. It's not like he's the Big Bad Wolf."

"His scar does make him look big and bad," Thalia muttered.

"I know, looking back on it, I really should have given Orion a scar," Annabeth commented. Thalia snorted. (**AN: Okay quick refresher, Orion is a character in Annabeth's story that she wrote in High School which the publishers thought was stupid. He was somewhat based off of Luke).**

"Speaking of Orion, how's your top secret book project coming along?" Thalia asked as she took a drink of her own coffee. She made a face. Thalia wasn't the biggest fan of coffee but she drank it anyway. Most people in New York did.

"It's going fine," Annabeth said, shrugging.

"Just fine?" Thalia asked, probing for more details. "Come on, I want more. What's it even about?"

"Um… a girl and a boy," Annabeth said. She wasn't sure if she could tell Thalia about the Letter Writer. It was so different telling someone you knew about your writing. It was easy to share it online with people who wouldn't judge you, they would just judge your writing. But sharing it with someone you knew… well that was different. It was harder and far more personal.

"Yeah well I got that much. Come on Annie give me more dirt! What are their names?" Thalia prodded. "Unless you tried to go for the angle where they don't have names and they just go by girl and boy like in that one movie."

"Hey I love that movie!" Annabeth argued. "And no of course they have names!"

"And they are…"

Annabeth opened her mouth to tell her and then she shut it. "Oh no you don't! I know what you're doing!"

"Doing?" Thalia asked innocently.

"Stop the whole innocent act Thals, you're terrible at it. I'm not going to tell you about it. You can read it when I'm done," she sighed.

"Fine, fine, but I better be the first one to read it when you finish it," Thalia said, scowling.

"I solemnly swear that you Thalia Grace will be the first one to read my finished work in its entirety," Annabeth said, raising her right hand and grinning.

"Good because if I'm not then I seriously will have to rethink that best friend pact we made when we were in fourth grade," Thalia said, trying to keep her face serious.

"Oh yes and that would just be terrible," Annabeth said sarcastically, thinking about when they were younger and had both drank a disgusting mixture that they had concocted to swear their friendship on. Most girls just made friendship bracelets, but not the two of them, they were far more creative than that.

* * *

"Rainbow!" Tyson called as he hurried through the aquarium straight to the tank that held a variety of seahorses. Tyson always had a fond liking of seahorses… or what he referred to as "fish ponies". "We are here Rainbow, me and Percy," Tyson said, waving at the seahorse that looked like a rainbow as it moved through the water, shimmering with the light.

"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Nico muttered as Percy and he leaned against the wall, watching Tyson. They had made their way through the aquarium, slowly of course. Both Tyson and Percy loved the aquarium and they always took hours, much to Nico's displeasure, wandering through the different exhibits, pointing out different rare creatures.

"Yes Nico, you are," Percy joked, as straightened up from the wall and headed over to where Tyson was watching Rainbow in the tank with his one large brown eye. "You almost ready to go big guy?" Percy asked him.

Tyson didn't look away from the tank. "Rainbow is happy," he said, satisfied.

"Yep, they treat Rainbow really well here," Percy agreed. Tyson and the seahorse had formed some sort of bond when Tyson and Percy had gone to the aquarium together for the first time and Rainbow had just stared out of the glass at Tyson.

Rainbow was able to see past the gruesome scars on Tyson to see his heart of gold inside.

That was one thing that Percy liked about animals. Most of them didn't give a care if you were tall, small, ugly or pretty. They loved you. Why couldn't people just love other people? So what if they were different? So what if they are black or white, Italian or Greek, smart or not smart? What if they're purple with poka dots? They're still human, they're still living, breathing humans. Everyone is different. So what?

That was one thing Percy had learned about the world when he became famous. Everyone cared about appearances but appearances don't last. They change as often as the day. The only thing that stays the same is what is inside your heart.

Percy always enjoyed these times with Tyson. It made him feel almost…normal. Not like he was a two time Grammy Award winner. There was something about being with his family that made him feel loved. He liked that feeling. It was something he missed in the world of fame and fast cars and bright lights.

Love.

"Bye Rainbow," Tyson said waving at the tank and then turning around, grinning. "We will come back right?" He asked.

Percy nodded. "As soon as Nico and I can, but we got to get home before Mom begins to worry." Tyson frowned.

"We do not want that."

"No we most certainly don't," Percy agreed, putting his arm over his younger brother's shoulders and walking towards Nico who got off the wall and walked next to them.

"Do you realize we've gone this whole time without anyone asking for your autograph?" Nico whispered, leaning in towards Percy. Percy shot him a look.

"Yes and now you've gone and jinxed it," Percy growled.

"Oh come on Percy, you don't really believe in that," Nico joked.

"Just you wait and see," Percy said as they walked out of area of the tanks towards the front entry way. Percy felt someone grab his arm. _Here we go again_. He thought. He turned around and sure enough, a girl was standing before him.

"Can I have your autograph?"

**Gosh… okay so I've been gone for about a week. I know I know! I'm sorry but I realized I posted like three chapters last week so be happy! Okay so the reason I've been so slow posting… I'm trying to lay low. My parents deleted both of my Instagrams (Sorry guys, for some reason they'll let me have a facebook but not an Instagram. I have no idea why!) They also criticized my writing and found some of my work for this story and called it a waste of time so I wondered if I should even keep writing but well… here I am still writing. We'll see… it's hard when your parents don't support what you write, how you write, what you love. It's hard. Really hard. I'm having to basically work behind their backs at midnight (literally it's midnight right now when I'm typing this). They think I'm messed up and I'm rebellious and disrespectful. The problem is, I just want to write. And this is how I write. It's different from how they think but if I don't write… well I get really depressed. Writing is my life but they're really cracking down on me and it's really hard. I don't know… what do you think? Should I keep writing or no? Is it worth it? I mean does this story really help you or not? Am I just typing this for no reason? I'm sorry guys but it's really hard when your parents can't support your biggest dreams. What do you do? So I don't know… it's going to take a lot of persuasion to keep writing this story. I'm sick and tired of my parents thinking I can't do this and that I'm not that good of a writer (my mom based my writing ability off of my PSAT score but honestly that's not what I write, I don't write essays! I write stories! So I'm not the greatest essay writer, that doesn't mean she should tell me not to write or that I need to change how I write.) I just… I don't know. Pray for me? PM me? I don't know. It's just… encouragement would be nice… maybe.**

**So that's why this chapter is late and not that good. I've had a hard week. I've had a hard time in Algebra II (I've studied for four hours for it) and I had a Chem project which took me forever. But mainly it's my parents. **

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Message me? Please. I…I need it.**

**Post Post Script- The W4W about home was suggested by ILoveToFly. I loved it and found a place to use it. I'm collecting every W4W you give to me so don't worry. I'll use them. They're all so amazing and incredible. You're all amazing!**


	14. Second Chances and Blue Potatoes

**You know what's amazing? That people are so encouraging. I got over fifteen different PMs after that last chapter and I want to let you know, I'm going to respond to each and every one once I get the chance. I'm going to keep writing but it's going to be under the cover of darkness… literally, it's going to be late. After so much support, I can't stop. So if I post late or don't respond quick enough, know that I'm trying to do it as fast as possible but sometimes I just can't.**

_When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching – _

_they are your family._

_~Jim Butcher_

Chapter Fourteen Second Chances and Blue Potatoes

Annabeth sat on the in the small café's booth, her ankles crossed behind one another. Thalia had to leave to get back to her apartment because she had a date later that night so she had left Annabeth alone in the freezing cold wind in Central Park. She had found a small café where she had instantly hurried to in hopes of getting out of the wind.

She reached into the satchel which was on the seat next to her and pulled out her notebook. It was a simple notebook with the words: Hello Sunshine in green bold letters. But she had scrawled many quotes on the front and the back with a Sharpie. Some people liked to doodle all over their notebooks, Annabeth covered them with words.

Flipping open her notebook, she found the page where she had left off on the story with Hannah and Birch. She grabbed her pen from her bag and uncapped the pen. With her peppermint mocha at her elbow, she put her pen to the paper and continued on in her story:

_Hannah nervously tugged at the mask that covered her face. What was the point of a masquerade dance at the school? Honestly. It was stupid. Jake had promised that he would meet her here but with all the faceless people in the crowd she was having a hard time telling who he was. _

_It was almost terrifying when you saw the masks. She realized just how little she knew everyone, she couldn't tell who they were by their laugh, or their eyes, or the way they spoke. Everyone was a mystery to her. It made her realize that maybe no one knew who she was behind her silver mask. _

_Her mom had went all out with her dress. It was her last Prom after all… and probably her last dance in general. Her mom never said that, but Hannah knew she was thinking it. Her visits to Dr. Tanner's weren't all that bad, thanks to the upbeat way Dr. Tanner acted, but Hannah knew she wasn't getting any better. She really didn't want to be here, but her mom pressured her into it so here she was, standing nervously to the side, tugging at the dark purple dress. It was funny, usually she would be asked to dance every dance but now that no one knew it was her… well they just seemed to think of her as a loner. _

_Masks did that to you._

_"Do you want to dance?" Hannah whirled around with the grace of a ballerina from all those dance classes when she was younger. _

_A boy with a jet black mask was standing in front of her, his face also shadowed by the horrid lighting job that was done in the gym. He had the deepest brown eyes that Hannah had ever seen. They were warm and inviting. He smiled at her, his hair tousled and messed up as if he didn't care about it, but Hannah knew that he had probably spent at least half an hour trying to get the perfect "tousled" look._

_"Huh?" Hannah asked, _great job Hannah, way to make a brilliant first impression,_ she thought dully to herself. _

_"Do you wanna dance? It must be pretty lonely just standing over here in the corner," he said, smirking at her. _

_"You have no idea," Hannah muttered…_

Annabeth paused. It was the moment she had been most excited for, but she was almost nervous to write it. When you got to the big parts in the story, it was hard to actually write them. You had waited so long for them that writing them down almost seems…wrong.

Annabeth sighed and reached into her bag for her i-pod. She slipped her headphones into her ears and turned on the radio. Music was a lot like writing, in fact there were very few differences. Writing was emotions and passions on paper, music was emotions and passions set to a tune. And both understood the importance of words.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, one of our favorite singer's latest songs for his new album: Percy Jackson with Minefield." Annabeth resisted the urge to moan at the mention of Percy Jackson. What was with that guy? What made him so amazing? Why him and not someone else? But she didn't change the station. For once she listened. And what she heard made her shiver.

"Well I was nineteen, you were twenty one

The year we got engaged

And everyone said we were much too young

But we did it anyway.

And we got the rings for forty each

From a pawnshop down the road

And we said our vows and took the leap

Now just a few years ago.

And we went dancing in the minefields

We went sailing in the storms

And it was harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for.

Well I do are the two most famous last words

The beginning of the end

But to lose your life for another I've heard

Is a good place to begin

Cause the only way to live your life

Is to lay your own life down

And I believe it's an easy price for the life we have found

And we're dancing in the minefields

We're sailing in the storms

And this is harder than we dream

But I believe that's what the promise is for

That's what the promise is for.

So when I lose my way, find me

When I lose love's chains, bind me

And the end of all my faith

To the end of all my days

When I forget my name, remind me.

So I'll walk with you in the Shadow Lands

Till the shadows disappear

So in the face of all this Chaos

Maybe I can dance with you.

So let's go dancing in the minefields

Let's go sailing in the storm

Let's go dancing in the minefields

And kicking down the doors!

Oh Let's go dancing in the minefields

And sailing in the storms.

Oh this is harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for."

Annabeth looked back down at her piece of paper in shock. Who wrote like that? It reminded her of one of her words for the wise she wrote down in one of her letters, there was one about minefields and storms that she distinctly could recall.

_W4W: Life is a minefield. Life is a storm. Honestly, that's what it is. It's trials, one right after another, right after another. But that's what makes it beautiful. In our brokenness we are more beautiful than before, it is when we are damned that we are the most beautiful. So why not dance in the minefields? Why not sail in the storms? _

Looking back at her piece of paper, she buried her head in the crook of her arm and ran her left hand through her curls, a position she always seemed to end up in when she wrote her stories, and she began to write:

_"And because of that you should dance with me," the masked stranger said, holding out his hand like one of the gentlemen in one of those old fashion movies Hannah's cousin liked to watch. _

_"Well if you insist, it does beat standing in a dark corner," Hannah said, taking his hand._

_"I think anything beats standing in a dark corner," he said._

_"Unless you're an assassin or a ninja," Hannah countered. The boy snorted and Hannah laughed._

_"Okay, if you have a normal profession that does not involve murdering people, than anything beats standing in a dark corner. How's that for your liking?" _

_"I like it very much," she said._

_The dance was a waltz, which Hannah had learned from her classes that her mother made her take back in eighth grade to try and make her the "proper" woman. Needless to say, the efforts failed. Nothing her mother could do would change how Hannah asked, contrary to what she thought. On the outside Hannah looked like the perfect daughter, but deep down she had a rebellious streak. And that streak had become even more apparent with her diagnoses._

_Her partner seemed also very adept at the waltz, his movements were smooth and fluid. His breath smelled like smoke when he talked and Hannah could see the slight impression of a tattoo peeking out from behind his neck and curling around his neck. _

_He twirled Hannah around, her purple dress flowing outwards like a flower. "You're actually a good dancer," he commented. "Usually girls with pretty faces are klutzes." _

_"Thanks," Hannah said dryly. "I'll take that as a compliment."_

_"You should take it as more," he said cockily. "Especially since it's coming from me. I'm an amazing judge of character."_

_"And you're also incredibly humble," Hannah said sarcastically._

_"I'm glad you think so," he smiled, his eyes deep and dark._

_"It was sarcasm."_

_"You say it is, but I can take it as any way I like, and I like to think that I am very humble," he said. Hannah was busy trying to determine who he was at her school. He seemed familiar and she knew three things: _

_He smoked._

_He had a tattoo_

_He had too much arrogance for his own good._

_That narrowed it down to about half the male population._

_And the mask wasn't helping._

_Birch also was trying to figure out who he was dancing with. He had seen her, with her dark purple dress that fell to her knees which was unlike the long ankle length dresses the other girls wore. It was more sleek and rebellious, more daring and Birch liked daring. She had dark brown curls pulled back and large violet eyes, but other than that he couldn't tell a thing about her face which was covered by a sleek silver mask. _

_He had decided that she was too pretty to just be standing there so he went to ask her to dance. After all, she wasn't too hard on the eyes._

_But she was something different, just the way she moved, with her head held high, she held an air of confidence Birch didn't see much with girls. It was as if she was living every moment to her fullest. She spun around the dance floor with grace and yet she walked with rebellion._

_Her every breath spoke of rebellion._

_And Birch knew rebellion, he had been rebelling since a young age. _

_But what was she rebelling against? _

Annabeth's phone buzzed, jolting her out of her world of Birch and Hannah and she flipped it open, she had a new PM from GreenEyes&BlueCoke. She opened it up and read it.

**GreenEyes&BlueCoke: I loved the new chapter. Can't wait to read about the dance when they finally meet, I actually just went to a masquerade myself. Had a blast and met a really awesome girl. Keep writing, you make me see the world differently. **

Annabeth smiled. Whoever this GreenEyes&BlueCoke was, he made her smile. She felt like she would like him in real life if she actually knew him, she felt like they'd become good friends if they actually met each other.

She took another sip of her coffee (her addiction was getting bad).

"Annabeth?" Annabeth looked up to see Luke standing over her, she groaned. How out of all the different coffee shops in all of New York City did her manage to choose to go to Veritas? (**AN: At my school we have a coffee shop in it and it's called Veritas which means truth in Latin). **The Fates were certainly getting annoying right now.

"Hey Luke," she mumbled, closing her notebook with a sharp jerk and putting her arm casually over the notebook so that he couldn't see what it was. But the problem with trying to hide something usually meant that they became even more curious.

"What's that Annie?" he asked, sliding into the seat across from her. "Some more writing?"

"Did I say you could sit there?" Annabeth said, turning her nose up at him but clutching her notebook even tighter. She would die if anyone, especially Luke was to see it.

"Oh come on now Annabeth," Luke said grinning, "Is that any way to treat your best friend?"

"You're name is Thalia?" Annabeth said, widening her eyes in mock surprise. Luke stuck his tongue out at her.

"Honestly Annabeth, what happened? We were tight," he said, twisting his middle finger and pointer finger together to demonstrate.

"And of course there was Thalia as well," Annabeth pointed out.

"Yeah, Pinecone Face," Luke snorted.

"Oh shut up Luke, you guys were close," Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

"Not as close as you and I, we were inseparable," Luke said, his blue eyes shining. "We were like family."

"Yeah, well family doesn't back stab family. Or trick them into thinking that they're important when really they aren't."

Annabeth watched Luke's eyes darkened. "You're still mad about that are you?" He asked softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah well it sure looked like you did when you were eating Tracey German's face behind the gym when you were apparently oh so in love with me," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"Annabeth, I regret doing that," Luke said and he almost sounded in pain. Annabeth snorted, Luke had always been a good actor. Only people that were good actors could fool Annabeth, she usually was an excellent judge of character. "I wanted to tell you for the longest time that I was sorry but you would never look at me, you would never even speak to me. And then you left. You don't know how ashamed I was." He bowed his head and Annabeth almost wanted to laugh.

"Well Luke," she said, brushing her hands together as if ridding herself of him. "That was a lovely story, but you were never the greatest writer. I need to go." She stood up, shoving her notebook into her bag and grabbing her phone.

Luke grabbed her wrist again, looking at her. "Annabeth, I want to try again. _Please_," he begged. "I promise I won't trick you again."

Annabeth studied his face, that face that she had loved so deeply at one point, that face which she thought she could spend the rest of her life with. She sighed.

"One more chance Luke, you get one more chance."

* * *

"Gods Percy, does that have to happen every time we set foot outside the door and go into public?" Nico asked as they hurried up the steps to Sally and Paul's apartment, Tyson in tow.

"You were the one who jinxed it," Percy huffed as they pushed the door open. They had just ran all the way from the aquarium to the subway and then switched so many trains that they lost count so they had ended up a few too many blocks away from the apartment so they had ran… just in case. Girls with cameras had the senses of a bloodhound.

When the girl had asked Percy for his autograph, he had obliged at first, but he begged her too be quiet. Of course he knew it was impossible to ask a twelve year old girl to be quiet, it was almost against their DNA. So she had gone screaming off to her friend.

And then everyone wanted to see Percy Jackson.

And everyone wanted their picture with him.

And everyone wanted to touch him.

It was just weird… so they had taken off running, Tyson thankfully knew why they had to run. It was funny, Percy didn't think he'd be running from crazy girl as a living when he got older. Of course he was very skilled at it from his high school days when the girls chased him for breaking their hearts but still.

Percy pushed the door open to the apartment and Sally came rushing towards them. "I saw the news, what did you do this time?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I solemnly swear that this time I did nothing," Percy said, putting his hands up.

"So no accidently pulling levers and releasing catwalks into a pool of sharks?" Sally asked. Percy winced at that. Last time he had went with Tyson and Nico, they had been touring the shark pool and Percy had accidently pulled the wrong lever… let's just say they went for an unexpected swim.

"I did no such thing," Percy said. "Scout's honor."

Sally sighed in relief. "Good, I don't need my son to be on the news for drunk driving or something."

"Don't worry Mom, I'm not that stupid," Percy joked. Sally hugged her son and Percy instantly felt like a little boy again in her arms, back when he was in elementary school and he came home with scrapes from fights in the street which Sally would bandage and then kiss him on the forehead.

"Sometimes we wonder thought," Paul said, coming into the room, grinning. "Like that time that you ran down the street only in your underwear, claiming that you were the King of the Sea." Percy cringed at that memory and Nico snorted. It had been the first time he had ever gotten drunk and even though the memory was vague and not completely there, Sally and Paul had a habit of reminding him of it any time they could, especially Paul.

"Can we not talk about that?" Percy mumbled.

"I want to hear the story again and I'm sure Tyson would love to hear it as well," Nico said, smirking at Percy. "Right Tyson?"

"I am ready for a story," Tyson nodded earnestly. Percy moaned.

"Well then we should talk about it over dinner, mashed potatoes and meatloaf," Sally said.

Percy perked up at this. "Are they blue?"He asked.

"Do birds fly?" Sally smiled. "Of course they're blue."

The five of them went into the dining room where the food was sitting on the table. "It's almost as if you knew we would be running away from a mob of crazed girls," Percy noted. "You didn't call them and tell them I'd be there did you?" He accused.

"Of course not," Sally said… "That would be Paul."

Percy whirled around on Percy. "You did what!"

"I'm joking Percy, I just had a feeling, call it a gut instinct." The five of them sat down and Percy looked around at the four other people: his mother who had went through one of the hardest lives that there was, Paul a man who understood Percy and yet didn't press himself upon Percy and try to pretend that he was his father, Tyson his half brother who you could never make sad, and Nico the only friend that was there for him the whole time.

The blue mashed potatoes were a symbol even. A symbol of his mother's love and promise to him. She was never going to stop loving him, no matter how terrible something got, no matter what stupid thing he did, it wasn't even possible for her to stop loving him.

When love is real, it cannot ever be broken.

It reminded him of something he had read in one of the letters. Those letters always seemed to come back to him, they always seemed to relate to him, they always were right:

_W4W: Family isn't just the people whose blood runs in your veins, they're not the people you see once a year at a family reunion, or the ones who come to you only when they're in trouble. No. Family is the people you care the world about, the people you would die for, the people you would do anything for, the people you would give the world for. _

* * *

Annabeth's phone rang at two o'clock at night. She moaned as the song Do You Hear the People Sing blared out loud in her small little loft. Rolling over on her small twin sized mattress, she grabbed the old flip phone and pressed the talk button.

"Hello?" Annabeth asked, her voice dripping with sleep from being awoken at so late a time.

"Annabeth?" Her step-mother's concerned voice came on over the speaker. "Is this you?"

"Of course it's me," Annabeth said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

And when she didn't yap at Annabeth for being sarcastic, she knew something was wrong.

"Sue what's wrong?" Annabeth asked, she heard Sue's heavy breathing on the other side of the phone as if she had been crying. "Sue what happened?"

"Your father… your father had a stroke," she choked. "They don't know if he's going to make it."

Annabeth went numb and her phone fell to the ground with a sharp clatter.

**CLIFFHANGER! Okay so it's actually not that big of one but still… eek I love writing cliffhangers but I hate reading them. **

**So update on my parents. I've decided that this is worth it, the response I got from the last chapter is worth it. Gods this is amazing. I love you all, each and every person that is reading this, I love you. And love is more powerful than fear. (As seen in the Mortal Instruments, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and like a gajillion other books). I'm going to write my own story now. I realized that I shaped Annabeth so much after my story, but I'm a hypocrite if I stop, I'm telling you all to not stop doing what you love and here I am thinking that I should stop. Well it's not going to happen. I'll keep writing. Don't worry. I still love all the messages, they were so encouraging. **

**Tell me what you thought about this chapter. Oh and by the way this is a Percabeth fanfiction not a Luke/Annabeth (do they even have a shipping name? Does anyone even ship them? I just can't. They're like brother and sister and I just can't see Annabeth with anyone but Percy).**

******~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- So the book I'm reading right now is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. My friend suggested it to me (happy birthday Emily!) so I decided to read it. Is it a good book? The pictures are soo cool and I like it so far. (Emma's awesome!) Oh on my profile I have a list of my favorite books, music, fictional crushes, and other stuff if you want to read about who I am… um it's a lot of random lists… I like lists.**

**Post Post Script- So if you remember I said that I spent a lot of time studying for an Algebra II test and you'll all be happy to know I got a 94% (that's good for me by the way) and it was a really hard concept of quadratic equations which I despise. **

**Post Post Post Script- I'm trying to find a way to hack onto my i-phone and get onto Instagram so I can post, I'll keep you all posted **

**Post Post Post Post Script- Oh what did you all think about the song Minefield? **

**Post Post Post Post Post Script- (that's a lot of posts). So i had a masquerade yesterday and I totally pulled the Hermione and Yule Ball. I walked in and usually I'm the smart nerd with the sharp tongue who plays basketball and everyone was like "Holy crap! What happened!" I even had a boy tell me, "Wow, you totally pulled off the Hermione Granger look." I laughed. Yep, we had a very delightful dance. But it was awesome. I didn't dance much though... everyone's slightly intimidated by me because I'm super tall... but oh well... I had three guys ask me out later at Denny's. Okay I'm sure you're done wanting to hear about my sorry, boring life.**

**Post Post Post Post Post Post Script- I swear this is the last one. Okay so I forgot this but I'm adding it in now :) the last W4W was brought to you by Cynthia Darling. I love it soo much! I just added to it and tweaked it a little but it was her idea! So amazing job! :)**


	15. Finis

**Here you go. Chapter Fifteen. I decided that I wanted to post this super duper bad! Um it's important. Have fun and tell me what you think. Oh and don't worry this isn't the end!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

Chapter Fifteen Finis

"So you need to leave why?" Athena asked as she leaned across the counter and looked at Annabeth with those intense grey eyes that Annabeth saw every time she looked at herself in the mirror.

"My dad has had a stroke and… well… they don't know if he'll live much longer," Annabeth said, trying to control her voice which was cracking nervously, filled with raw emotion. No child ever wanted to get the call that their parent had a stroke, even if that parent didn't really spend much time with them. Every child loved their parents. It was in their nature. Parents might say that they are rebelling or fighting against them, but most of the time they're doing no such thing. They're trying to discover who they are, who they should be.

And Annabeth was no exception.

Athena looked at Annabeth and shook her head. "Poor Fredrick," she whispered.

"How do you know my dad's name?" Annabeth asked, looking up. Athena looked at her, studying her with those calculating eyes. Inside of them Annabeth almost saw, dare she say it, sympathy and a tenderness that was unfamiliar with Athena.

"Hmm… oh you must have put it on your résumé," Athena said dismissively. "Of course you may leave for a week Annabeth. I hope your father gets better." And even though almost everyone had told her that, Annabeth sensed that Athena, unlike many others, actually meant it, that she actually cared about her father.

Which was strange.

"Well thank you Athena," Annabeth said as she headed out the door, leaving Athena staring at her with a contemplative look on her face.

* * *

"Percy, you have to finish those songs," Nico said as he came into Percy's studio where he sat with Riptide, his guitar, and a bunch of sheets of music around him.

"I know, I know!" Percy said, his voice filled with stress. "I just can't figure anything out! Everything I play sounds like garbage!" He complained, throwing his hands up in the air, exasperated.

"Percy listen, it's not like anyone's going to care. I mean listen to Lady Gaga. Her music is garbage and everyone loves her **(AN: Um if you like her… sorry about this I just had to think of an iconic artist that's controversial and she's the only I could come up with… I know, I know sooo unoriginal.)** Just write the lyrics and play some tunes on your guitar and call it good. We can always have the guys at the studio tweak it," Nico said.

"You don't understand Nico!" Percy said. While Nico was incredible with numbers and sales and organizing things, he was terrible at really understanding the importance of music. "You can't just toss random words together. That's no real. They have to _mean_ something."

"How about this Percy. It means that you'll get a fat paycheck when you're done and a bunch of more adoring fans. You already have When the Stars Star Falling and Minefield both of which everyone loves and thinks are amazing, you're good. Just wrqite some other stuff."

"Nico, I refuse to write about sex and drugs and alcohol," Percy said. "Not after what happened…."

"I wasn't suggesting that," Nico sighed.

"Oh then what? You want me to write about a puppy dog and a baby kitten who fall in love? Ha. This isn't Disney Channel where I can write stupid songs with no points to them."

"Percy, I think you're over thinking this."

"I'm not over thinking it, you just don't understand!" Percy said, irritated that Nico didn't understand the importance of the words. _She _would understand. He knew she would. Annie probably would understand as well, he mused to himself.

"Look Percy, you get like this every time before a dead line, just calm down you'll be able to finish on time, don't worry," Nico said, trying to calm his friend down. "You still have about two weeks before they need to be done, so just breathe."

"But breathing takes up time," Percy muttered.

"Yes, but it also keeps you alive," Nico sighed. This was his least favorite part about working in the music industry with Percy. He liked to procrastinate and then at the last minute pull two weeks of continuous all nighters. It was a nightmare.

"I won't be alive much longer if I don't finish these things," Percy muttered, clicking and unclicking his pen without even seeming to pay attention to it.

It drove Nico bonkers.

"Well look I have to go," Nico began.

"Go?" Percy said, snapping back into reality. "Where are you going? Can I come?" Anything to get out of this torture.

"No. One you have to finish those songs and two it's a date," Nico said.

"And that would explain the button down shirt and slacks," Percy muttered. "Since when did you go on dates?" Percy asked.

Nico glared at him, annoyed. "I go on plenty of dates. I have a perfectly normal social life."

"No… no you don't Nico," Percy said.

"Well I have a bigger social life than you do right now."

Percy let out a heavy sigh and tapped his pen against his thigh. "Touché," he said.

"Well I've got to go, have fun Percy," Nico said, disappearing out of the studio. Percy muttered a curse under his breath which would have had mothers covering their children's ears… if they knew ancient Greek that is.

"Yeah fun… just about as fun as laughing gas."

* * *

Annabeth sat at a small little Starbucks table in the small airport in Boise, Idaho. Her head was buried in her hands, her fingers nervously working at knotting her curls in her anxiety. She wanted to get on her plane already and leave but the layover was an hour and a half. That was an hour and a half where her father might be getting closer to…

She couldn't even finish the thought. Tears welled in her eyes and she buried her head deeper into her hands. She probably looked like someone who was getting close to jumping off a bridge. She hadn't slept in a long time, not since Sue had called. Tuesday had been spent trying to get arrangements for her spontaneous trip. And then she hadn't slept on the eight hour plane ride, she kept wondering about her dad. What if he didn't make it, what if he just… let go? What if he didn't want to see her? Or even remember her?

One of Annabeth's problems was her over reactive imagination. It was a problem for writers. She always thought about the worst possible situations.

Taking a deep breath, her breathing shaking as she looked at the computer screen that was in front of her. She had connected to the free wifi and logged onto her Writer's Corner account. She had spent her time on the plane working on her next chapter, a chapter which would probably make quite a few people angry.

But it was how she was feeling.

She wrote her feelings.

And right now she was mad at life, mad at the fates or God or whoever was in charge of this crazy thing they called the world. Why did it always happen to her? Did they just want to keep breaking her down, piece by piece, bit by bit until she was left with nothing to stand on, until she was nothing but broken pieces shattered on the ground.

Life wasn't fair.

She had learned that that dark night when she was twelve and Sue had come home drunk and the house had been a mess from her twin brothers. Her father had been away on a Lecturing tour thing, she didn't remember what it was for.

She just remembered the pain and the bruises and her head crashed against the side of the counter. She remembered the blood. She still had a scar.

Life was cruel and twisted.

Life ended in Death.

It was that simple.

And her story was going to be realistic even if everyone else hated it. Because people hated the facts, they hated being told the truth. People hated the things they could not understand, like the idea that death was a very real, very prominent fact that everyone was facing.

Annabeth typed in her chapter title. **Chapter 23 Finis. **

And then she hit submit.

Closing her laptop, she tucked it away into her laptop case and stared outside through the large windows at the very drab landscape, it was overcast in Boise, Idaho and it made her feel claustrophobic. She hated feeling claustrophobic.

The airport was very quiet as people walked around, there was a family, the little girl carrying a thick book in her hands, there was a couple looking madly in love, they were probably going on their honeymoon. And then there was an elderly couple, walking hand and hand.

The three stages of life.

Sometimes Annabeth wondered if she'd get her happy ending like these people.

Then again, was there ever such a thing as a happy ending?

* * *

**Excerpt from Chapter 23 Finis from the Letter Writer by WiseGirl36**

_Her breathing was heavy, it felt as if her lungs were being pressed down against her, causing her to choke. It was thick as if she was breathing through a thick cotton blanket. She grew dizzy in her seat and she clutched the sides as if she was going to fall. _

_She stumbled out of her seat in the middle of her teacher's lecture, her breathing heavy. Every head swiveled towards her, wondering who was daring enough to interrupt their teacher's lesson. "Miss Aspen?" Mr. Green asked, staring at her through his classes. "Are you alright?" When she didn't respond he set down his whiteboard pen from where he was writing the title of their next book for English Class. "Hannah are you alright?" He repeated. _

_The words seemed slurred together in her ears and she blinked heavily at her teacher. She leaned over and gripped the edge of her desk, trying to keep herself up. It hurt, oh gods it hurt! "Hannah?" Izzy asked, leaning over from her desk, her thick blond hair blocking her blue eyes. "What are you doing?" _

_Her lungs felt on fire, her heart was beating too fast, her body hurt. She couldn't breathe. She made eye contact with Mr. Green and swallowed hard. "Help," she croaked and then unceremoniously collapsed on the ground, her skull crashing against the hard floor._

_It felt as if time was slowing, as if someone had hit a button pausing everything, as if she was moving through muggy heat. Hannah twisted her head to the side towards the sound of a girl screaming. It hurt._

_Izzy was standing over her, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide open. If she was able, Hannah would have laughed. She wasn't the one dying. She felt something cold touch her arm and she jerked back from the sudden touch._

_"Calm down Hannah," Mr. Green said. "I need you to stay calm. Can you do that? Just stay awake a little bit longer?" He said. "Focus on me." She looked at him, her eyes growing heavy. She stared at his spiky hair, at his glasses at anything._

_"Someone call 911!" Mr. Green yelled at the class. _

_Yelling hurt her head._

_"Oh come on! I know you all have your phones on you! If you don't call them right now then…" he didn't finish his sentence. Hannah felt herself drifting away. She vaguely heard dozens of people seeming to call 911, or maybe it was just one, she couldn't exactly tell._

_"Yes… yeah, a girl in my class just collapsed on the floor…. Heck I don't know, maybe it's a seizure," she heard someone said. "Yeah St. Francis's… okay, sure."_

_Someone said that an ambulance was on the way._

_"Hannah I need you to stay with me," Mr. Green said. "Someone's going to come and help you. Is it your cancer?" He asked. Hannah managed to somewhat nod._

_"Caner? Hannah has cancer?" Izzy whispered. And then she heard Izzy start sobbing again._

_"Someone take her out of the classroom please," Mr. Green ordered. Someone grabbed Izzy and pulled her out. It was quiet again._

_Everyone seemed in shock._

_Finally Hannah couldn't hold on anymore, she closed her eyes._

_The pain was too much._

_"Did you hear?" Gil asked Birch as they walked down the hallway to their next class, or more Gil was walking to his next class. Birch wasn't exactly in the mood for class._

_"Hear what?" Birch asked, itching for a smoke outside behind the dumpster which was the iconic spot for smoking and making out. One of the teachers had even proposed to another teacher behind the dumpster, it wasn't just the kids._

_"Hannah Aspen, you know her? Jake's girlfriend, the one who everyone drools over." Birch knew who she was. She was seriously hot with long curly brown hair and dark violet eyes. Everyone knew that Jake had gotten the best catch in the high school. _

_"What about her?" Birch asked. _

_"She has cancer. Collapsed right in the middle of her AP English class. They called 911 and she got rushed to the hospital. Apparently they don't know if she's going to make it. She's had it for a while now. Didn't tell anyone."_

_Birch stopped in his tracks, his blood running cold. Hannah Aspen had cancer? _

_"It's kinda funny. Everyone said that she started acting different, more rebellious and more sarcastic. Jake didn't like it one bit. He always liked being in control of his girl. I remember in my Calculus class she stood up and said that she didn't get the point of learning about numbers if we were all going to die anyway. The teacher didn't even tell her to be quiet. Guess it makes sense. She was always a dead girl walking. It's kind of sad."_

_"How long did she know?" Birch asked, his voice shaking. It couldn't be. And yet it seemed so familiar and so right at the same time._

_"Only a few months. Apparently it was Thyroid. They didn't think she'd make it in the end. She only had a few years left at the most. Hey what's wrong?" Gil asked, looking at Birch._

_"I… I've got to go." He said, turning on his heels and running towards the front of the school, zipping his jacket up. _

_He flung the doors open and ran to his motorcycle, swinging his feet over and revving the engine at the same time._

_He had to get to the hospital._

* * *

_There was nothing the doctors could do. _

_Dr. Tanner was going mad that no one else would help him as he worked furiously to try and save Hannah but she knew it was a lost cause. If she could have been able to talk, she would have told him to stop, to just let her die already._

_After all she was going to die anyway, so what if it was now or in another sixty years?_

_She just wanted to go to sleep and go in peace. _

_She lay in a hospital bed, machines hooked up to her and beeping loudly. She was tempted to try and turn them off so that she could get some rest. Hannah could hear her parents talking to Dr. Tanner, or more her father was talking, her mother was weeping madly. _

_It wasn't like she was the one dying. _

_Final thoughts for the humble, she thought to herself. "When one is really actually facing Death, when they're staring him in the face with his icy hands and cold breath, it doesn't seem that bad. I'm ready to go. I'm tired and I'm ready. I feel like in the end, When we die, we'll be ready. After all Death is just another adventure, another chance to live. Even if there's nothing after Death…. I wonder what it will feel like… nothing." (AN: _**_I read about that last part in school, the idea that even if there's nothing after death that's still something and it interested me.)_**

_She took a heavy breath into the mask around her mouth. She was so tired._

_Her eyes closed._

_Her breathing slowed._

_The machine went crazy._

_Her parents and Dr. Tanner came running in._

_They were panicking._

_She smiled._

_Hannah Aspen smiled._

_It was her rebelling against Death._

_And then-_

**_Excerpt ends. Chapter is ends. _**

* * *

Percy stared at his computer screen, his eyes widening. What had he just read? He reread those last two words : and then. But there was nothing after, there was nothing to finish it. Just the end of the paragraph. The end of the chapter.

He reloaded the page but nothing new showed up, just the same paragraph, the same words. He cursed at the screen.

What had he just read?

What the hell had happened? Had she died? Had she lived? What had happened to Hannah? He needed answers. He couldn't just live with this as an ending.

He quickly messaged WiseGirl36:

**GreenEyes&BlueCoke: Um… so was that the end of the chapter or the end of it all or just a typeo? I'm hoping for the typeo part. Please respond back quickly.**

* * *

Annabeth walked into the lobby of the airport, looking for Sue, clutching her duffle bag with her hand. She was ready to go and see her dad.

She spotted her, her usually perfect makeup smeared all over her face, her hair wild and frizzy. She ran up to Annabeth crying.

Sue never cried.

"Oh Annabeth! He's died."

**Another cliff hanger! Yes! So this was a short chapter but very important! Things to take away:**

**Annabeth killed Hannah Aspen the main character of her story and ended it mid sentence with Birch never finding out about her or talking to her. I know I didn't put the whole story on here so know this: Birch wanted to leave a letter back for her but he never did. Now he'll never be able to talk to her because she's dead.**

**This is because Annabeth is going through severe depression because of her father and it's just going to get worse**

**Don't worry Percy's on the case. He doesn't like the ending of this story and he wants to figure out how it ends so what do you think he does?**

**Mr. Chase has died.**

**Okay. Happy chapter. Three cheers for happiness… hahaha. Um so the teacher Mr. Green in Annabeth's story is in honor of one of my favorite authors, John Green. He wrote the Fault in Our Stars and that's sort of where I got the idea for a story within a story. In there the story: An Imperial Affliction ended mid sentence with a girl with cancer so yeah…**

**Um so I've got a basketball game. Last one for the actual season and then tourney. Wish me luck **

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Please review! I want to get to 300! Please! For me? And to show my parents that I can do this! Not that they'd ever see this…**


	16. We Were Born To Die

**Okay here's the chapter we've all been waiting for. I've felt like I've built up enough suspense and random chapters to finally do it. To finally get the two of them to meet without their masks, face to face. J So without further ado, ladies and gents: Chapter Sixteen of Heart by Heart: We Were Born to Die. **

Born To Die by Lana Del Rey

Don't make me sad, don't make me cry  
Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough, I don't know why  
Keep making me laugh  
Let's go get high  
The road is long, we carry on  
Try to have fun in the meantime

Come and take a walk on the wild side  
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain  
You like your girls insane, so  
Choose your last words  
This is the last time  
'Cause you and I  
We were born to die

Chapter Sixteen We Were Born to Die

"Oh Annabeth," Thalia said as she hugged her best friend when she picked Annabeth up at the airport. It had been one long week of something Annabeth couldn't even describe. She didn't even remember most of it.

She remembered the funeral, being too choked up to say a single word. She remembered crying but not remembering why. She just cried and cried. It all seemed like a cloud of emotions. It all seemed to blend together into one large hazy grey sky.

She was still shaking from seeing her father dead in his coffin. She knew that he was going to die someday but why did it have to be so soon? Why did the gods have to take him.

Why?

"Come on let's get you home," Thalia said as she picked up Annabeth's duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder and then wrapped an arm around Annabeth and for the second time that year, led her out of the airport and to her car.

Annabeth didn't speak the whole ride back.

When she got to her apartment, Thalia insisted on walking her to her door. "I'm fine Thalia," Annabeth tried to tell her, but she would hear no such thing.

"You might think you're fine Annabeth Chase, but I know you better, this is what best friends do. They make sure that you're alright and I know right now that you're not," Thalia said as she dropped Annabeth's bag down and went to go start on some tea.

Annabeth just sat down on her couch, staring absentmindedly into space.

She kept seeing images of her dad's pale face, cold as ice, lying in the coffin.

She shuddered and clutched her pillow.

No child should ever have to see their parent dead.

But that was the sick reality of life.

She went to bed

* * *

"How are the songs coming along?" Nico asked over the phone.

"Fine, they're going fine," Percy said. He was laying on his back, one hand holding the phone to his ear and the other one holding a letter up to the light which was streaming through the sunlight in his studio, his eyes studying the paper.

"You're still trying to find here aren't you?" Nico said with a sigh.

"Yep," Percy said, popping the p.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone," Nico said. He had left to go a National Conference thingy that Percy could care less about, except for the fact that it was in Florida near Disney World. Disney World always sounded like a fun place to go to. It made Percy laugh knowing that he'd never been there and yet he could probably afford to rent Disney World out for a week.

"I'm not a kid Nico, I'm fine," Percy said, staring at the sheet of paper that the company had sent to him.

"Percy, you're laying on the floor staring at a piece of paper aren't you?" Nico asked. Percy was silent. "And I've bet that that piece of paper is from the company that works that website that you're always on that the story was on."

"Sometimes I think that you're a ghost or something and you're standing right behind me at this very moment," Percy said with all seriousness. Nico snorted.

"No Percy, I just know you well enough. Now can you please get back to work? I don't think your mystery girl wants to be found."

"Why do all the girls I fall in love with have to be hiding behind a mask? First was my letter writer who hid behind her letters, and then there was Annie at the masquerade who hid behind and literal mask, and now there's WiseGirl36 who's hiding behind a computer screen. Why do I always have the worst luck with girls?" Percy groaned.

"Come on Percy, she's probably some thirty something year old who's already married and has a two year old driving her nuts," Nico said.

Percy snorted. "Nico, if you actually read her author's notes than you'd know that she's just out of college and is probably in her early twenties. I'm sorry but no thirty year old mom writes like this."

"Good point," Nico said and then there was silence. Finally he continued. "Percy, why do you even care? It's just a story."

"Because," Percy said and then hesitated. Why did he care about what was going on with this WiseGirl36? Why did it bother him if he didn't know how the story ended? Why did he care? It was just a story. There were plenty of other stories out there to read. Right?

No.

There was something about this story, something about it that spoke to him in ways that other stories didn't. It was the way she crafted her words as if each one mattered, as if each word spoke to her. It was as if she understood human nature. As if she felt for everyone she wrote for.

And that was why he had to find her.

She cared about him, even though she didn't know who he was.

He would care for her.

"Because she cares," he said. Nico didn't answer.

There was a buzzing on his phone and Percy pulled it away from his ear and then looked at it. "Listen I got to go Nico, they've got an address for me." And then he didn't wait for Nico to respond before hanging up and looking at the address from the company who ran Writer's Corner. With a few strings and connections he was able to find out WiseGirl36's address.

Nothing really was safe on the internet.

**6B Janus's Doors Apartments. New York City, New York.**

* * *

Annabeth sat on her old couch in her sweats, her computer pulled up in front of her and a mug of tea at her feet. She hadn't left the house in days. She wasn't in the mood. She ordered take out and sat in front of the TV watching the saddest movies she owned.

Crying made the pain feel better.

_W4W: Sometimes it's better to just let the flood gates open. Sometimes it's better to just cry and let it all out. Let the emotions go. It's better than bottling it all up and then letting it explode because sometimes our hearts can't take that. Sometimes it takes the strong people to actually cry._

But she had finally decided to check Writer's Corner.

She hadn't been on for over a week.

Her inbox was filled with over a hundred messages. There were over a thousand new reviews.

But instead of being excited Annabeth wearily clicked on the first one. She was slightly terrified to read it.

**TamaracResort: What the heck was that? Was that the end? If it was it was TERRIBLE! How can you kill your main character? It's evil. You're evil.**

**LaceyLu: I used to like this story but now I can't stand it. How can your bear to write this knowing that you're just going to kill your main character in the end? I won't have gone near it if I knew that Hannah was just going to die!**

**Yancey(YOLO)Olson: Is this even legal in the laws of writing? Can you just kill your main character?**

**SPepperstein: I'm confused as to why you did this. Are you emo or something? Do you like Death? This is just depressing.**

**TraceyGerman: One word: UHG!**

Annabeth leaned back into her couch, shuddering. That was exactly the response she had been hoping for. Why couldn't they see her point of view? Why couldn't they see?

Why didn't they understand?

And that was when the doorbell rang.

* * *

Janus's Doors was a sleazy looking apartment in the lower area of New York. Percy stood in front of the old building, looking down at the piece of paper in his hand and then back at the building. Yep, this was the right address Lindsey, the girl who was working at Writer's Corner when Percy had called, had given him. He had bribed her with free tickets and backstage passes to his next show and a free first copy of his new album.

Then again if he never figured out how the story ended he would never finish the album.

He realized that this story, The Letter Writer, was inspiring him. It made him think, it made him fill his mind with music and lyrics, just like his own letters did. Without knowing the ending it would drive him nuts.

It was _his_ story.

Only this time, he wanted to make sure that the boy got the girl.

Hannah could not die. WiseGirl36 or Annabeth Chase as was her name that Percy was given, could not kill her.

Annabeth Chase, a twenty two year old girl who lived in New York City. Percy had memorized her profile and found certain things almost eerily familiar:

(_AN: The Following is a piece of Annabeth's Profile for Writer's Corner)_

**WiseGirl36- I live in the Big Apple and no I don't have a view of Central Park if you're wondering, instead it's a lovely view of a wall… and an alley. I'm a dreamer who's trying to make her own fairytale, I'm a believer trying to writer her own story, I'm a freedom seeker trying to find the Light. I write to know that I am not alone. I write to know that I am not the only one suffering. In my life I've gone through trials but I know you have too. So let's go through the trials together shall we?**

It sounded so familiar and it caused Percy to continue on his search for Annabeth Chase, a girl who seemed to breathe words.

And his search had led him to Janus's Doors.

Her apartment was on the second floor. It was the sixth door. There was a little brass number six that was slightly crooked. Percy took a deep breath.

It was the moment of truth.

Whoever lay on that other side of the door… well… he'd find out soon enough.

Percy knocked on the door.

And it opened

A girl around his age with long blonde curls pulled back into a ponytail and wearing sweats opened the door and stared at him. Her skin was tan like she had been in the sun for a long time and she looked athletic and fit. But there were bags under her brilliant grey eyes that were like storms.

Grey eyes he'd seen before.

And had been captivated by.

"You're Annabeth Chase?" Percy asked, his eyes opening wide. She shrugged and leaned against the doorway to her apartment, studying him as if trying to determine the best way to take him down if it came to a fight.

"Depends on who's asking."

"You're WiseGirl36," he said. "You wrote the Letter Writer."

"Yeah, so?"

And in that moment something changed in Percy. This girl that had been at one point just some person on the other side of the computer screen was now standing before him, he was in the presence of a genius and he had no idea what to say.

Some things were best left unspoken.

Like the awe inspiring feeling he got just looking at this girl who had crafted a story so beautiful. And he was as old as him. And she seemed familiar… like he knew her before. Like he had laughed with her, like he knew her.

But from where.

He never had been good at names and faces.

"What happens?" Percy asked. Annabeth yawned, and then looked at Percy with a curious look on her face.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"How does the story end? The Letter Writer?" Percy said slowly. She looked at him confused.

"Didn't you read the last chapter, Chapter 23?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course I did, why else would I be here?"

"Then you know how it ends, she dies, the end. Finis. Hence the title. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to bed." Annabeth made a movement to try and shut the door to her loft but Percy stuck his foot in between the door and the frame causing it to stop. Annabeth scowled at him.

It was kind of cute how she scowled.

"What do you mean? It ended with Hannah in the hospital and Birch on his way to try and talk to her and then it just stopped-"

"Mid sentence, yes I know," Annabeth said impatiently.

"And then I thought that it might be a-"

"Typeo. It's not."

Percy stared at Annabeth with wary eyes. "It's kind of creepy how you finish my sentences like you know what I'm going to say. Are you one of those creepy psychics or something?"

"No, I'm not," Annabeth said, sounding as if Percy was stupid. "I've just read all the hate mail." She closed her eyes and leaned against the doorframe even more as if she couldn't stand. "Okay here we go: Hannah died, hence the midsentence stop. That's the end."

"It doesn't make sense though, it-"

"Of course it makes sense! Death is a reality! That's how the story ends. That's how all stories end, not with a kiss or a hug or a happily ever after. It ends in Death, sorry. That's the truth and I'm sorry that most people don't understand that."

"But you're writing a story! Not real life! Stories end in happily ever after!"

People began to open their doors and look at the scene in the hallway of the two of them arguing. Percy instinctively pulled the baseball cap he was wearing lower. He was amazed that Annabeth hadn't started screaming his name yet. But then again, she seemed slightly out of it.

Annabeth sighed. "Okay look, I don't want my neighbors thinking I'm a moron. Come on in and let me get dressed and then we'll go get coffee or something like that." She opened the door for him. "My first stalker fan and I'm letting him in. I must be going crazy," he heard her mutter as he stepped in.

Inside her loft was filled with books and smelled like coffee.

"I'm going to get dressed, please don't steal anything. Not like there's anything to steal," Annabeth called as she climbed into her small loft area and pulled the curtain.

Percy found himself sitting on a couch similar to the one he used to sit on when he was younger, it was bought from a Thrift Store. You could tell the signs: the old stains, the squeaking springs.

The loft was the size of Percy's studio and yet it was nice. It messy and yet at the same time it was organized. Books were everywhere and paper was scattered with pencil and pen markings all over.

Annabeth appeared from behind her curtain wearing tight jeans and a sweater. She pulled on her boots and then her coat and turned to look at Percy, her brow furrowing. "Do I know you?" She asked as she grabbed her bag.

"I'm pretty sure you don't," Percy said quickly as they headed out the door.

"Hmm… you just seem familiar. Your eyes at least do. Is Taki's fine?"

* * *

Taki's was crowded and Percy and Annabeth found a booth towards the back of the restaurant, both of them sitting on one side, staring at each other. A peach mango smoothie and a salad sat in front of Annabeth and a burger, fries and a blue coke was in front of Percy.

They didn't speak.

Annabeth's eyes were focused on his coke. And then she cleared her throat. "Why is it blue?" She asked suddenly.

Percy looked up, surprised. "Um… it's just something between my mom and I and I guess I never grew out of it." He shrugged. "Taki's in the only place I know that gives me blue coke."

Annabeth nodded. "Taki's has everything."

Silence again.

"So what did you say your name was again?" Annabeth said.

"I didn't."

"Oh… well since you know mine I think it's only fair that I know yours," Annabeth said. Percy shrugged.

"It's Percy," he said.

"Percy…" Annabeth said, her voice trailing off and her eyes focusing on something that didn't seem to be in the restaurant. "That sounds familiar."

"Yeah well… there's _the_ Percy Jackson," Percy said, trying to avoid being recognized. "Maybe that's why it's familiar."

"Probably," Annabeth said, shrugging. "So why did you want to talk to me?"

"How could you kill her?" Percy asked.

"Because she had cancer, terminal cancer. The word terminal basically means death. It wasn't like she was going to mess with the laws of the universe and go against the definition of terminal," Annabeth said.

"But what about Dr. Tanner's daughter Tara. She survived."

"Tara was the 1/10 that survive, that means nine other kids died. She was an anomaly to the system Most of the time not everyone is special like that."

"You can't kill Hannah though."

"It's life. We're not all the 1/10, in fact usually we're the 4 or the 8 or even the 9. And no one hears about us. Sometimes, most of the time, _we die_. I'm only writing about life."

"Life's unfair then."

"What else is new?"

"It's depressing," Percy argued. "It's a depressing story."

"Life is depressing. Life is just for Death."

"But that's not all life is," Percy argued. Annabeth folded her arms and leaned back in her seat, looking at Percy curiously. "It's not just about Death."

"Then what else is it?" Annabeth asked. "You get up every day, go to work, live a monotonous life. And every day you're only getting closer and closer to Death. Some just die quicker than others."

"But life isn't just Death. It's a journey. It's an adventure. You're not just moving straight towards Death. It's more like a crooked line that you're walking on, it doesn't go straight to death. It dances back and forth between different emotions like love and hate, between different events in your life like your birthdays and your wedding day." Percy's eyes rolled upwards as he searched for a better analogy. "It's like a song."

"A song?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, a song. A song starts of slow and quiet and then it gets louder and more beautiful. Songs always end but the music fades off and usually if it's a good song it'll be in your mind for forever. The same is true with life. It starts off slow but slowly it picks up pace and it's beautiful. When it starts ending, that's when I find that the impact is the biggest. And if it's a good life, then everyone will remember you and your life. Life goes on, life doesn't end even in Death," Percy argued.

Annabeth laughed. "You're not a writer are you?"

Percy shook his head. "Nope, I'm more the musician type."

"Then why do you care?"

"Because you understand words and your story brought me something I can't describe. And I don't think that mankind deserves an ending like that. I don't think your readers deserve an ending like that. We're not made to love depressing things, we're made to love happy endings. I think that there's something else going on that caused that ending," Percy said.

Annabeth looked at her hands. "Are you sure you're not a psychologist?"

Percy laughed this time, "Positive, I'd probably fail college if I tried to become one."

Annabeth sighed and leaned forward, studying the lines in her hands. "You know you're the first one to tell me that. I've got a boat load of hate mail but no one really asked me why."

"Well I'm asking you, why?" Percy asked.

Annabeth's grey eyes looked out the glass window at the busy streets of New York City, all the people passing through without knowing what was going on in other people's lives. They were just so focused on their own.

"I met with Death," she whispered to herself. Percy looked at her, slightly confused. She sighed again. "My dad just died last week."

Percy was silent. That explained it. Death changed a person.

"It's not like I was really close with him or something, it's just… he was my dad," Annabeth shrugged. "And it made me realize that everyone's going to die. So why should Hannah live?"

Percy looked at her. "Because we want hope."

Annabeth looked up at him, her grey eyes meeting his green ones. "What?" She asked.

"It's because we want hope. We crave hope. And we hate stories that end without hope. If you're going to kill Hannah at least give it some closure. At least give us some hope. Write the story you want to write, write how the world should be and maybe it will become that way."

Annabeth laughed but a sob was echoing at the back of her laugh. "You can't change something by just writing it."

"Hey, don't you remember the Declaration of Independence? That was written," Percy pointed out. And then he paused. "That was the name…right?"

Annabeth snorted but nodded. "I'm guessing you weren't the greatest in school."

"Nope, not at all," Percy said, grinning.

Annabeth studied him, tapping her jaw. "You seriously seem familiar, are you sure we've never met… it's something about the eyes. I don't think I could forget those eyes…" her voice trailed off and then she snapped back to attention.

Her phone buzzed. She looked at it. It was a text from Luke: **Hey. I heard about your Dad. Can I come over in a few hours? **

"I have to go," Annabeth said standing up.

"You'll think about what I said?" Percy asked. Annabeth paused and then slowly nodded.

"I will." She then dug around in her purse for a piece of paper which she tore out and scrawled her phone number on. She shoved it into Percy's hand. "I don't know what I'm giving a total stranger my phone number, but there it is."

She turned on her heels and then paused. "Oh and if your day job ever fails, I seriously suggest looking into becoming a psychiatrist or something."

Percy grinned. "Thanks, I'll take that into consideration."

And she grinned back.

And in that small diner, in New York City, something strong was at work.

Annabeth sat in front of her computer, tapping her fingers nervously against her table where she sat. The words that Percy had spoken to her where still spinning around in her head.

Hope.

She wanted to change the world. How could she do that if she was writing something depressing? People craved hope, not sorrow.

Annabeth clicked the new chapter button on Writer's Corner and then began to type:

* * *

(Excerpt from Chapter 24 It's Not the End from the Letter Writer by WiseGirl36)

**Chapter 24 It's Not the End**

**Author's Note: Hello all of you out there who have been reading my story, The Letter Writer. I know you were all shocked with how the last chapter ended and you thought it was the end. To be honest, I thought it was the end as well. But then I met with someone today. He was one of those people that I think Fate puts into your life because they're like your angel. They change your views, they lift you up. Anyway, he convinced me that it can't be the end. Just goes to show that encouragement is a lot better than hate (hint, hint to all of you who said I was evil and a terrible writer… that's not what got me back to writing). So here we go. **

**It's not the end… at least not yet.**

_And then-_

_The beeping slowed a bit. _

_It became the calm rhythmic beating that meant that Hannah's heart was still beating. She slowly opened her deep violet eyes and realized that she wasn't dead._

_At least not yet._

_She looked around. Dr. Tanner was smiling at her. "You're a trooper Hannah," he said, his eyes sparkling. "You pulled through."_

_Hannah gave a weak smile. "So what's next?" She managed to croak out. She saw that her parents weren't in the room with her. They were probably planning her funeral… they probably thought that she had died. What awesome parents…_

_"Next we get you better and out of here," Dr. Tanner said with a smile. "But first, there's a young man here to see you. He says his name is Birch Waters…"_

**End excerpt**

**Oh my gods! So they met and talked even though they have no idea that they're Perseus and Annie from the masquerade or that she's his letter writer. So what did you think? Annabeth's view on life is very depressing and skewed but sadly that's how some people see the world. I know that I didn't go into details about Annabeth's father's funeral but I didn't want to have to keep posting filler chapters and I wanted to get down to the meat of this story, I'm already a hundred pages in on word and I decided that you guys need the bone and meat of it all J **

**So the song for this chapter is as you can probably tell from the title, We Were Born to Die by Lana Del Rey. It's basically Annabeth's view on life and a song I've been listening to a bunch! But I found an AMAZING song for Annabeth! It's called Holding Out for a Hero from the movie Footloose (well at least I like that version better than the original… I don't know why). It's perfect. By the way. Her hero is Percy. So take a listen. That's at least the song that I'm really loving right now for Annabeth! **

**So what did you think? Can we make this the most reviewed about chapter and break my record for most views? Please? And most favorited chapter? Please? Well only if it's good that is… if not than… eek! Please don't send me too much hate mail!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Does anyone on here do Mock Trial?**


	17. Great Minds Think Alike

**Hey guys! OMG the response for my last chapter was incredible! I'm so glad you all loved it! And yes ladies and gentlemen it took them 16 chapters to meet and they still have no idea who they're really talking to. But you know what that means? If it took them 16 chapters to meet then there must be another 16 chapters in me while they're together… J Doesn't that make you happy? So here we go: Chapter 17… eek it's getting so long! **

**Chapter 17 Great Minds Think Alike**

Percy sat in his studio, drumming his pen against his table, staring blankly at the lyrics that were in front of him. The lyrics that he had wrote after his talk with a Miss Annabeth Chase. A Miss Annabeth Chase whom he couldn't get out of his mind. Literally. It was as if she was stuck there, he was constantly thinking about her, they way she smiled, the way he could see her thinking about every word he said.

He smiled.

His phone rang, he grabbed it and jammed it against his ear. "Hey," he said.

"Percy!" Nico's voice blared loudly over the speaker of his phone. Percy held the phone back and flinched away from the sound.

"Wow Nico, are you trying to blow my eardrums out?" Percy asked, continuing to tap his pencil against the table.

"I just got your song that you emailed me."

"What did you think?" Percy asked.

"It's good, real good, I knew you could do it," Nico said.

"Yeah," Percy sighed. "Only nine more songs to go." Percy paused a minute, debating whether or not to tell Nico his news. Finally he decided Nico had a right to know. "I found her."

Nico was quiet for a moment. "Your story writer?" He asked.

"Yeah, and I talked with her yesterday," Percy said.

"Oh… and how was that?" Nico asked politely, unsure of what else to say.

"She's… well she's like I was," Percy said. "She's searching, she's lost. Gods Nico do you have any idea what it's like to talk to someone who's lost, who's lost and can't seem to find their way out of darkness?"

"Percy, I know. I've talked to you." Percy heard someone shout on the other side of the phone. "I've got to go Percy, I'll be back in two days. Don't do anything stupid 'kay?"

"Me do something stupid?" Percy scoffed. "You jest."

Nico snorted. "I'll see you Percy."

* * *

"Well look who's here." Annabeth looked up from where she was reading her book and her eyes met green eyes for the second time in two days. "Hey there Wise Girl," Percy said, standing over her, holding a milkshake in his hand. It was blue. Annabeth nearly smiled.

"Nice baseball cap," Annabeth said, nodding to the cap.

"Thanks," Percy said as he sat down across from her and taking a long drink of his milkshake.

"I don't remember saying that you could sit there," Annabeth said as she looked back down at the tiny print in her book.

Percy shrugged. "Last time I checked it was a free country and plus it's Taki's booth, not yours." He grinned at her. "What are you reading?" He asked, his hand itching towards her book. Annabeth slammed her book closed and jammed it into her bag on the seat next to her.

"A book."

"No way Wise Girl," Percy said rolling his eyes. "What book?"

"Just a book. What are you doing here?" Annabeth asked, trying to change the conversation. For some reason, letting people know what she was reading was just… strange. Some books were too special to try and share with someone else.

Percy shrugged. "What does it look like, I'm drinking a milkshake. Taki's makes the best and I always drink milkshakes when I'm working."

"You work, I'm surprised!" Annabeth said.

"Haha, you've wounded me," Percy said back sarcastically. "I read your chapter last night."

Annabeth shrugged this time. "What can I say, you made me think okay? Maybe it wasn't a good time to kill Hannah."

"You called me your angel," Percy pointed out.

"Oh shut up, ever heard of trying to be poetical?" Annabeth asked.

"I think I like being called an angel," Percy said, tapping his jaw. "Yep, it's official. You'll have to call me that from now on."

"Yeah right, in your dreams," Annabeth said rolling her eyes. "You're more like the devil in disguise with the way you've been stalking me."

"Stalking? I hardly call a coincidence in meeting you at a popular diner, which by the way happens to be the best in New York, stalking."

Annabeth was about to answer when she saw a familiar face enter the diner. She moaned and ducked her head. "Act like you're talking to me," she whispered hurriedly to Percy.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Percy asked, confused.

"Just act like we're in a very in-depth conversation," Annabeth said, trying to make sure she avoided looking at the front of the diner.

Percy turned around, catching that she was trying to hide. Two men had just entered the diner. "You hiding from one of them?" He asked.

"Possibly," Annabeth muttered.

"Eye-patch dude?" Percy asked.

"Oh gods no," Annabeth said. "I would die before I dated Ethan… or even was in the relatively same distance as him."

"Then scar-face?" Percy asked. Annabeth nodded. "What is he? Your ex?"

"Kinda…"

"How can he be kinda your ex? Either he is or he isn't right?"

"Well we're sort of dating… he came over last night and honestly I'm not in the mood to be in the same room as his anymore… he wears me out."

"Then why are you dating him?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shrugged again. "I don't know… left over from a childhood crush. But there's nothing there anymore."

"You shouldn't date him because of a childhood crush," Percy said. "As I remember, a certain someone in her Thoughts for the Humble said: _Love is not something you can throw away, it's not something you can give freely. To love is to be vulnerable. To love is to give everything you have for someone else. It's to completely sacrifice everything for them. So make sure you love them unconditionally, make sure you love them without a doubt and beyond words can describe. Because your true soul mate is only out there once. So don't waste your heart on someone you know isn't them. Keep your heart in one piece to give to the one person you love more than yourself. Don't let yourself be fooled. Keep your eyes open."_

Annabeth moaned. "I hate when I'm right," she said. Percy laughed. "Can we just get out of here?" She asked.

"We? I don't remember being a part of this scheme. Maybe I'll go and introduce myself to him," Percy said grinning.

"You wouldn't dare," Annabeth said. Percy raised an eyebrow, daring her to stop him. "Please Percy don't," she begged.

"Only if you say I'm the best in the world," Percy said. "As well as the hottest, most amazing person ever."

Annabeth stared at him and then sighed. "I am the best person in the world as well as the hottest, most amazing person ever."

"That's not what I meant," Percy said, scowling. Annabeth grinned.

"But that's what you said. Next time make it clearer. Now come on, you've got to act like you're talking to me while we leave," she said, standing up and grabbing her knapsack and swinging it over her shoulder.

"I already told you, that's what we're doing," Percy said exasperated. Annabeth glared at him. She pulled up the collar of her coat as if in an attempt to hide her face. "You know you look like you could be a Russian spy or something," Percy contemplated. Annabeth pinched his arm. "Ow!" He complained, rubbing the sore skin. Annabeth gave him an overly sweet smile.

The duo brushed past Luke and Ethan, Percy purposely bumping into them and elbowing Luke in the gut. He didn't know why but this Luke figure seemed like a bad sort of guy, call it a gut instinct or something. He probably deserved that elbow to the stomach at one point or another in his life.

And plus he seemed incredibly familiar.

Like the boy that teased Percy in his freshman and sophomore year.

Outside Annabeth let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said.

"You know what, he seems familiar, I think I went to high school with him," Percy said.

"Luke? He's like two years older than me. Luke was a junior when I was a freshman," Annabeth said. "But we'd been friends since I was like seven."

"What's his last name?" Percy asked.

"Castellan," she said.

That name brought back nightmares.

Nightmares of before Percy got "hotter" as the girls would put it. Back when he was getting shoved into a dumpster when he didn't have his growth spurt.

Now looking back on it, Luke deserved much more than an elbow to the stomach. He deserved a kick in a spot that Percy would rather not be kicked in.

"How did you get mixed up with Luke Castellan?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "Do you want to walk with me to Central Park? I'll tell you on the way there." Percy didn't even hesitate with his answer even though he was supposed to be working on his songs.

"Sure."

They began walking down the busy streets but in New York they could talk freely about anything, no one cared, no one even took the time to look at everyone else. No one took the time to actually listen.

Listening was a lost art in the world.

Everyone was always trying to be the loudest or the biggest.

"I was seven. I had been a playground, hiding under the slide, it was like I don't know nine at night."

"Why were you at the playground at night at night as a seven year old? Even I'm not that dumb," Percy said.

"Thanks," Annabeth said sarcastically. "I had just run away from home if you're so curious. Luke and Thalia had been at the park. They had snuck out of their homes to get some 'fresh air' as they told me. Really they were getting away from their parents who were just as abusive or neglecting as my parents. Luke heard me, he always had a really good ear, and I nearly brained him on the head with my hammer I had been carrying with me."

"You carried a hammer as a seven year old?"

"Of course, what would you carry if you were alone on the streets of New York? I mean I couldn't get my hands on a gun and a butter knife wasn't going to help me that much, so I took the next best thing," Annabeth scoffed.

"I'd be very terrified to meet you as a seven year old if that's how you thought," Percy said. Annabeth stuck her tongue out at him.

"I nearly brained Luke on the head with my hammer but Luke's always been fast, he managed to disarm me. I still remember what he said to me though, he didn't bring me back to my parents or anything after I told him about them. He told me that I needed to go back for just a few more years until I was old enough to leave them, but he told me something else too. He told me that we'd be family and that he'd come back for me and make sure that they weren't hurting me. He told me that I was a part of his and Thalia's family now and he promised that he wouldn't let anything hurt me. But most of all he told me that he was _not_ going to fail me like my parents and his parents and Thalia's parents did."

Annabeth sighed and tucked a loose piece of blond hair from her braid behind her ear. "Ever since then we were the closest three friends ever. Thalia was a year older than me but she had been held back a year because she ran away from school for a year so she went to class with me. We all went to the same middle school and elementary school. Luke was like my big brother. And I thought… well I thought that I loved him."

"When I was in tenth grade and he was a senior, we started dating. Do you have any idea how big that was? He was the captain of the Baseball team, he had won state back to back for us. He was the most popular senior ever and he wanted to date _me_, little old Annabeth Chase, the girl he had taken care of since she was seven."

"I'm guessing it was a pretty big deal," Percy said. Annabeth nodded. They were walking through Central Park now, the trees having lost most of their leaves and crunching beneath their feet when they walked.

"It felt like I was in Heaven for two months, it was perfect. I had had the biggest crush on Luke ever since seventh grade, he seemed so amazing and wonderful. But then one day I caught him and Tracey German, the captain of the Cheer Squad kissing each other behind the dumpster at Goode. My life was completely ruined. Imagine seeing the boy who you thought you loved kissing another girl. It is the most devastating, horrific experience ever. Some people try and sugar coat it and say it isn't that bad. But it is. It was the worst moment of my life. I stopped talking to Luke after that."

Percy studied Annabeth's face, the way she kept her chin titled upwards as if she wasn't going to let anything pull her down, she looked as if she thought she was better than the world. He guessed that you had to look strong to go through what she was going through. From her story, he had determined three things about her life:

was abused as a child and neglected.

had her heart broken, she wasn't just dumped. Her heart was broken in two when Luke betrayed her.

was lonely.

"I'm sorry Annabeth," Percy said softly.

Annabeth sighed. "You know what's funny? Only one other person knows that story and that's Thalia and she's my best friend. And here I am telling it to a complete stranger! I must be losing my mind," she said, laughing.

Percy shook his head. "No. Sometimes it's easier to talk to strangers than it is talking to the people you know."

"I'm telling you, you should become a psychiatrist if your day job fails, you could make serious money."

Percy shook his head. "I don't think my day job is going to fail anytime soon."

"What do you do for a living?" Annabeth asked.

"I work," Percy said shrugging. Annabeth took it as a sign to drop the conversation.

They walked down the park path, neither of them talking to each other as they walked. There were some things that were better of left unspoken then spoken. The unspoken word was far more powerful sometimes than the spoken.

Percy casted a side long glance at Annabeth, at her red cheeks from the cold wind, at her dark grey eyes that seemed like storms, at her tan skin. There was something about her, something so familiar that it was drying him insane. He wanted to know her better. He was scared to admit it, but there was something about her that made him want to comfort her when she was hurt.

She didn't deserve to be hurt.

But he wasn't sure he was ready to do that.

At the same time Percy was looking at Annabeth, Annabeth was also looking at Percy, at his sea green eyes that spoke volumes, at his pale skin. She wondered what his hair looked like. She was betting it was black… raven black. He was so familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it.

And it terrified her.

It terrified her that she had only known him for one day and he was already breaking down all of the walls which had taken forever for her to carefully construct.

It terrified her that she was connecting with him.

That he made her laugh and smile.

After all to love was to destroy.

Wasn't it?

"So where do you work?" Percy asked.

"Well unlike you I actually am not secretive of my work, I work at Olympian Scrolls," Annabeth said.

"The book store with the yard in the front?" Annabeth nodded. "I'll have to come and visit sometimes. Usually I avoid bookstores like a plague… too many smart people. But I might make an exception for this place if you're there."

Annabeth felt herself blushing. Was he flirting with her? For some reason that thought made her smile.

"You know you're a terrible flirt," Annabeth said, slugging him in the shoulder. Percy shrugged.

"I don't know, you should ask the hundreds of girls that follow me around like puppy dogs, I think they'd say I'm an excellent flirt."

Annabeth snorted. "I seriously doubt that you have hundreds of girls following you around."

_You're right, more like thousands_ Percy thought to himself as he shoved his hands into his pants' pockets. He was still wondering when he should tell Annabeth that he was _the _Percy Jackson. He was already shocked that she hadn't already figured it out, but she didn't seem to be that much into pop music, more like classical.

"So what were you doing at Taki's?" Percy asked, "Other than hoping to avoid your boyfriend?" _Your boyfriend who seems very familiar and who I am growing more and more jealous of_. _Whoa! Did I honestly just think that? No, no, no. Stop thinking about that Percy!_ Percy scolded himself.

Annabeth shrugged again, she seemed to do that a lot with Percy, like she was at a loss for words around him. "Reading, thinking. Taki's is my favorite place in New York so… it just seems like the perfect place to go to."

"Same here, I think they put drugs in their food or something that makes us addicted to it or something," Percy said thoughtfully.

Annabeth laughed, she did that a lot too around Percy. She couldn't help herself. He made her smile and laugh like she'd never done before. "I don't think that's legal."

"Lots of things aren't legal and yet we still do them," Percy said.

"True," Annabeth said, agreeing with him. She checked her phone and then made an awkward squeaking noise. "Oh my gods, I've got to go, Thalia and I are meeting up at her place. See you later?" She asked and Percy could almost hear the hint of hope in her voice about them meeting again. He grinned. "Of course."

Annabeth grinned back. "Okay, see you around… Seaweed Brain." And then she turned and ran down the path.

He stood there, grinning stupidly at where she had been.

It was then that Percy realized that he was an idiot for two reasons:

1. She had just called him Seaweed Brain.

2. Thalia! Gods that was his cousin's name! Why didn't he realize it sooner!

She was Annie, the girl from the party!

**Hey everyone! So everyone adored my last chapter and I'm so excited. This chapter is so cute. I love how Percy and Annabeth complement each other so perfectly! They're soooo beautiful together.**

**Okay so a few quick things (I'm trying to type fast because I'm going to go see Frozen again! Yippee!) **

**1. Words for the Wise and Thoughts for the Humble are made by me, I created them all with the exceptions of the few where people send me ideas for them and I expand them (which I hope more people will do!) They all came from my brain since many of you are asking that question.**

**2. This story has a lot more to go through. Don't worry! Right now it's 145 pages on my computer J **

**3. I know it was slow and it still is kinda slow but hey! I'm hoping it will be super long!**

**4. Please, please review! Please J**

**5. Also please, please message me! I respond to every message!**

**Okay well I'm off to Frozen! I love this movie sooo much!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Current book I'm reading- Code Name Verity and the Hollow City J**


	18. Battle Scars

**Onto Chapter Eighteen. Do you know how amazing this is? This story… well it's changing my life. It honestly is! I was telling my best friend that I've talked with so many people from around the world because of this story, that I have people all over the world reading it. And here I am in little Boise, Idaho. I don't know why but it makes me feel closer to everyone in the world. It makes the world smaller... just like Percy said to do. Make the World Smaller. I've had a few people tell me that they hope that through this story I can find my Percy… I don't know about that but weirder things have happened. I just wanted to let you all know that you are all amazing, every single one of you who has read my story, every single one of you who has taken the time. In less than a month I have over 400 reviews. It's amazing. **

**Disclaimer- I realized I haven't been doing this… oops. So here's the disclaimer for all the times I haven't done it and all the times I'll probably forget to do it: I don't own. Well I own the plot. (What do you think about me actually turning this into a book?)**

Chapter Eighteen Battle Scars

"So he convinced you to do what?" Thalia asked. Her and Annabeth were perched on Thalia's couch in her and Jason's apartment overlooking Central Park. They were both eating a pizza ordered from Taki's. Honestly, their deep dish pizza was to die for.

"To keep writing, see I've been writing this story on Writer's Corner, you know that popular website for people who want to publish stuff but at the same time don't want to publish stuff? Anyway I had been working on this story which got really popular and then when my dad died I killed the main character and then everyone got mad… but he… well he convinced me to keep writing." Annabeth smiled at the thought of Percy.

She did that a lot.

It made her cheeks hurt.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me you're writing again!" Thalia said angrily. "I thought I was your best friend! You always let me read your stuff first! And now there are a bunch of people in the country who have read it before me!"

"Actually the world, I have a very big fan base in Canada," Annabeth said thoughtfully.

"That's even worse!" Thalia said.

"I'm sorry! I just… I didn't want to tell you about it… it was too special to me," Annabeth admitted. Thalia gave her a glare.

"Well thanks then best friend. When I get engaged I won't be telling you because it'll be too _special_ to me," Thalia said sarcastically.

"Oh come on Thals, I'll give you the story name so you can read it," Annabeth said.

"You better," Thalia said, folding her arms. "Now for the question I know you've been dying to be asked. Is he cute?"

Annabeth laughed. "Wow Thalia, instead of scolding me for talking to a complete and utter stranger who may or may not be a professional stalker, you ask me if he's cute."

"Of course," Thalia said.

"I never pegged you as the boy type," Annabeth said.

"I'm not," Thalia said indignantly. "But if my best friend is going to be going on and on about this boy, I have to know if he's cute."

Annabeth punched her in the stomach. "I'm not going on and on about him!"

"Annie, he's all you've talked about since you've got here. Your eyes practically light up every time you mention him."

Annabeth sighed, leaning back against the couch. "He has pale skin and he's tall but not freakishly tall or anything. His smile is slightly crooked and his laugh is like… well I don't know what it's like. It's unique and it starts off like a snort **(AN: this is based off of one of my guy friend's laugh, it's actually a really awesome and amazing laugh so you have to trust me on this, Percy's laugh is not weird!) **but then it gets quieterAnd his eyes… oh gods his eyes are amazing. They're as deep and as green as the sea," Annabeth said.

Thalia looked at her, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She looked like she was about to start laughing at Annabeth. "What? What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"Annie, what's his name?" She asked, barely able to contain her laughter.

"Percy…" Annabeth said slowly.

Thalia started laughing.

"Nope… his name is actually Perseus. Annabeth, he's my cousin!"

The small bell above the door into Olympian Scrolls rang. Annabeth was up the small spiral staircase in the teenage section on her hands and knees, stocking books when she heard it ring. She ignored it, Malcolm was downstairs, he would help the customer if they needed it.

Annabeth found it funny how Malcolm and she always worked together. She had grown to like Malcolm and they had gone out a few times. Not for a date of course! Just as a friendly get together. He was dating a girl named Lacey who Annabeth had met a few times. She didn't seem like Malcolm's type at all, with blond hair and braces (which Lacey woefully said was because her parents didn't let her get them when she was younger) but Lacey was sweet and as the saying goes "Opposites attract."

Annabeth reached to grab one of the books in the stack but she accidently knocked the stack over and the books went spilling off. "Damn it, I'm such a klutz," she cursed under her breath, reaching for one of the books.

"I didn't know you had such a colorful language Wise Girl."

Annabeth looked up to see Percy holding one of the books out for her. Looking at him now she had no idea how she could have been so blind as to not have seen that it was Perseus from the party. For priding herself in being smart, she sure could be dumb at the same time.

Then again the dumbest people always thought they were the smartest.

"Hey Perseus," Annabeth said casually. Percy gave her a crooked grin.

"You figured it out too?" He asked.

"Masks change what you look like," she said.

"You're telling me, but I still feel like a moron because I didn't know it was you. I should have know, I honestly should have."

"At least you have an excuse for not knowing, I on the other hand have none," Annabeth said.

"Oh really? And what's my excuse?"

"Your brain is full of kelp," she said, pushing the last book into place and then standing up and straightening her sweater. Or more like pretending to straighten it.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Percy said.

"Take it whatever way you want," she said shrugging and then heading towards the stairs. "So why did you come here? Have you officially decided to stalk me?"

"I'm bored and you keep be busy," Percy said, following her as she clattered down the iron stairs.

"Oh really? I'm surprised, it seems like you never work. Then again, you are the son of Poseidon."

"I told you, I work with music," Percy said as he followed her to the counter.

"And I still have no idea what that means," Annabeth said. Malcolm was standing at the counter, ringing up an elderly couple. They finished paying and then headed out the door, hand in hand. Annabeth looked wistfully at the couple.

"Who's your friend?" Malcolm asked Annabeth, nodding towards Percy.

"Malcolm this is Percy, Percy this is Malcolm my coworker," Annabeth said. The two men shook hands and nodded at each other.

"Do I know you?" Malcolm asked, studying Percy. Annabeth noted as Percy shifted nervously where he was standing.

"No, I don't think you do," his hands strayed to his baseball cap, a different one from the last two days (Annabeth was beginning to wonder how many baseball caps he had, maybe he was a collector).

"I guess I don't," Malcolm said, shrugging it off. "You better be treating Annabeth well over here." Annabeth's eyes shot open and Percy looked at her.

"No! No! We're not dating."

"Of course we're not," Percy said, agreeing wholeheartedly with her.

"We're just friends…" Annabeth said.

"More like acquaintances even…" Malcolm snickered.

"Whatever you say guys," Malcolm said with a knowing look in his eyes. "Annabeth I've got to go and order that shipment of books Athena asked me to order. Can you watch the counter?"

"Of course," Annabeth said.

"No doing anything while you're working," Malcolm said winking at her. Annabeth glared at him until he disappeared back into the back room.

"So do you like it here?" Percy asked, leaning against the counter. Annabeth shrugged.

"It's nice, pays the bills and I can read anything I like when I'm on break so I guess it's a win-win," she said. "Now why are you really here?" Annabeth asked, "other than being bored of course."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go and see a movie with me?" He asked. "Not like a date or anything I mean… I guess it kind of would be but of course… I mean… if you don't want to it's of course… but I hope that."

"Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked, interrupting him.

"Yes?" He asked eagerly.

"Shut up."

"Okay," he said, his face falling.

Annabeth laughed. "I'm joking. Sure I'll go with you to a movie. I need to get out of my apartment anyway. What time?" She asked.

"Around six? We can see a movie and then go and get dinner," Percy said.

"Sure, why not," Annabeth said, smiling. Percy grinned back.

"Awesome I'll see you then. I'll pick you up."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Percy nervously knocked on Annabeth's apartment's door. Was it weird that he was taking a girl to a movie, a girl that he had only met a few days ago? He felt like he was back in highschool… he felt… normal. Something he hadn't felt in a while.

He liked it.

And plus, he had this deep, gut sinking feeling that he _knew_ her. He knew Annabeth Chase. It was a feeling that he couldn't shake. There was a familiarity to Annabeth that he liked.

He liked being around her.

Annabeth opened the door. She was wearing a purple sweater dress with a black scarf and knee high boots. She smiled at Percy as she pulled on her coat. He smiled back goofily. "Let's go," she said.

Percy and Annabeth walked outside of her apartment complex and Percy made a mental note to check out just what type of apartment building this place was, he didn't feel comfortable leaving Annabeth alone in an area of New York that was less than… friendly.

His car was parked outside on the sidewalk and he saw a few teenage boys with dirty hair and tattoos on their skin eyeing it as if determining the best way to drive off with it. Percy knew the type, after all awhile ago he had been just like them.

Drowning in a world that seemed too big for him.

"Scram," Percy said, glaring at the boys. They glared back but loitered off. Percy opened the door for Annabeth. "After you my lady."

Annabeth laughed and slid into the passenger seat. He shut the door behind her and then headed around to the driver's seat. "Honestly you and Thalia have the most amazing cars ever," Annabeth said, contemplating the interior. "Perks of having a rich dad right?"

"Something like that," Percy said as he started the engine. He didn't think he could tell her that he had actually earned the money making a bunch of girls swoon while he sang.

"No baseball cap today," Annabeth said. Percy shrugged.

"Baseball caps didn't exactly match with my choice of clothing," he said. He was taking a risk going out in the open without his baseball cap, but instead he had pulled on a pair of shades to cover his eyes. The two things that made him stand out: his sea green eyes and his raven black hair. If he hid one or the other he was usually good to not get attacked by a bunch of teenage girls. Well as long as they weren't the creepy, stalkerish ones who could point him out in a sea of a thousand.

Those girls needed to get a life.

Percy turned on the radio and to his horror one of his songs was playing. He knew that Annabeth hated him… well she hated Percy Jackson, she didn't seem to hate just plain old Percy. He made a move to change it but Annabeth slapped his hand.

"Don't I want to listen to it."

Percy looked at her shocked but shrugged and left it alone:

Battle Scars:

The wound heals but it never does

That's because you're at war with love

You're at war with love, yeah

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

This battle.

Never let a wound ruin me

But I feel like ruin's wounding me

Arrow holes, they never close from cupid on a shoot spree

Feeling stupid cause I know it ain't no you and me.

But when you're trying to beat the odds up

Been trying to keep your nods up

And you know that you should

And let her go

But the fear of the unknown

Holding back another lover strong

Sends you back into the zone

With no Tom Hanks to bring you home

A lover not a fighter

On the frontline with a poem

Trying to write yourself a rifle

Maybe sharpen up a stone

To fight the tanks and drones of your being alone.

I wish I never looked, I wish I never touched

I wish that I could stop loving you so much

Cause I'm the only one that's trying to keep us together

When all of the signs say that I should forget her

I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had

I wish that the good outweighed the bad

Cause it'll never be over, until you tell me it's over.

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

These battle…

You shouldn't have but you said it

(And I hope you never come back)

It shouldn't have happened but you let it.

Now you're down on the ground screaming medic

The only things that comes is post traumatic stresses

Shields, body armors, and vests don't properly work

That's why you're in a locker full of hurt

The enemy within and all the fires from your friends

The best medicine is probably just to let her win

I wish I never looked, I wish I never touched

I wish that I could stop loving you so much

Cause I'm the only one that's trying to keep us together

When all of the signs say that I should forget her

I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had

I wish that the good outweighed the bad

Cause it'll never be over, until you tell me it's over.

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

These battle…

Cause you set me on fire!

I've never felt so alive yeah!

Hoping wounds heal but it never does

That's because you're at war with love

And I'm at the point of breaking

And it's impossible to shake it

See you hoped the wound heals, but it never does

That's cause you're at war with love

Hope it heals but it never does

That's cause you're at war with war

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

These battle scars, don't look like they're fading

Don't look like they're ever going away

They ain't never gonna change

These battle…

(**Taken From Battle Scars)**

He cringed when he heard the song. Even though everyone loved this song and thought it was his best work, it was also his first attempt to somewhat wrap and it was a strange sound. But everyone thought it was amazing. Percy turned the radio down and then turned to look at Annabeth who was staring out the window contemplatively. For some reason he wanted to know what she thought, he wanted to know if she liked the song or not. It was one of his most popular songs but he'd rather have her good opinion that anyone else's for some strange, strange reason.

Why was that?

"So what did you think?" He asked Annabeth casually as if he hadn't written the song. As if they were just discussing another song on the radio.

"It sounds familiar, like something I wrote a while ago." She shrugged. "But I'm probably imagining it." Percy looked at her curiously.

It was true he had gotten the song idea from one of the letters, one of his favorites. It was talking about masks and stripping down to your most vulnerable moment, it talked about all of the scars that humanity bared. Scars that would never heal. The last words his letter writer had said, her thoughts for the wise had stuck with him and had inspired him to write Battle Scars.

_W4W: Everyone has scars, some aren't as visible as others, some aren't ugly that run down the side of your face. Some scars are under your shirt from where you had a feeding tube when you were younger, some scars are under your pant leg from where your father abused you. Sometimes your scars are on your heart. A place no one will be able to see. A place where your scars will never heal. Because loved is painful. It's a battle. And we all are given battle scars in the end. Every one of us will never go unscarred by love._

"It's weird, I didn't think that he could write like that. I heard his new song, Minefield and that's when I realized… maybe there's something else to the great Percy Jackson… other than the fact that he shares you name," she added with a smile. Percy smiled back.

He pulled into the movie theater parking lot and turned off the engine. He and Annabeth hopped out of the car and walked towards the front of the parking lot towards the building. "So what movie are we seeing?" Annabeth asked.

Percy shrugged. "I was thinking we could just close our eyes and randomly point at one."

Annabeth looked at him as if he was crazy. "Are you serious?" She asked. He grinned like a madman and nodded.

"Yep," he said popping the p sound. "And I'm so nice that I'll even let you chose."

"I'm not seeing a random movie that I have no idea what it's about!" Annabeth protested. Percy smiled at her.

"Come on Wise Girl, where's your sense of adventure?" He asked.

"I have a sense of adventure!" She said indignantly.

"Then do it, chose a movie randomly. It's fun, I do it all of the time," he lied. To be honest, it was something he had always wanted to do.

"Fine," she said grumpily.

"No peaking," Percy said. "In fact, I'll cover your eyes for you, just in case you try and look," he said, putting his fingers over her eyes.

"Percy!" She whined.

"Annabeth," he mimicked. "Hush up and just chose." Annabeth huffed but held her hand up and randomly waved it around in the air at the large board overhanging the ticket booth. People walking by looked at the two of them with curious or distained expressions.

Percy just laughed.

People just didn't understand.

She randomly pointed a movie. Percy pulled his hands off of her eyes to let her see. She squinted at the board. "I haven't even heard of that movie," she said.

"Annabeth, I seriously doubt that you've heard of any movie that hasn't been a book before. It's really popular I hear, you have excellent taste in choosing blindly."

"Of course I do," Annabeth said indignantly. "I have excellent taste in everything."

"Therefore that means I'm excellent."

"How so?"

"Because you've chosen to hang out with me," Percy said with a smirk.

"It actually wasn't that bad," Annabeth admitted as the movie ended and Percy put on his sunglasses again as they walked out into the cold night air. She had no idea why he was wearing sunglasses being that it was winter and it was also late at night… maybe he thought that it completed his outfit and without them he'd look like a moron.

Annabeth seriously doubted that, he probably looked good in anything.

_What the heck did I really just think that? What is going on with me? I've just met the guy!_ She thought to herself.

"Yeah, not too shabby," Percy shrugged as they got into his car. "I mean I doubt it'll win anything but it was decent." They pulled on their seatbelts. "So dinner?" He asked.

"Why not," Annabeth said. "Night's still young and it's not like I have anything tomorrow other than work but I'm working the late shift so I can go in late."

"Great because I know this awesome place," he said, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Please don't say Taki's," she begged. As much as she loved that place, you could only handle going to the same place so many times in 48 hours.

"Nope, even better."

"Better than Taki's?" Annabeth said, faking shock. "You jest!"

"Nay my good lady," Percy said. "It is better than Taki's."

"I don't believe you," Annabeth said, folding her arms.

"Wait and see, I hope that you like Italian," Percy said, weaving through the busy streets of New York with the same reckless driving skills that Thalia had, ignoring all of the honking and loud curses that rose through the night air.

"Love it," Annabeth grinned.

"Good, I begged you as an Italian lover," he said, making a sharp turn into a brightly lit restaurant that looked incredibly busy. Percy managed to park in the front. Annabeth was surprised that such a good parking space wasn't filled.

"Do you think that we'll be able to get a table? It looks pretty busy," Annabeth said as they walked inside.

"Don't you worry Wise Girl, you're with me, we'll get a table," he grinned.

What was that supposed to mean?

Inside there were dozens of people crowded around tables and bars, laughing and talking and drinking. It was loud and bright but it also seemed cozy. There was a sense of the Italian country side in the warm lights and earthy tones.

"Wait right here," Percy said and then disappeared into the fray of people. Annabeth stood there awkwardly, nervously wringing her hands together. She wasn't one for being in social places.

"Can I help you?" A girl with curly brown hair and earthy brown eyes stood in front of her, dressed in a sharp black dress.

"Um… actually I'm waiting for…"

"She's with me Katie," Percy said appearing suddenly at her side and draping his arm over her shoulder. Annabeth blushed as Katie raised a single eyebrow at her (a skill that Annabeth was envious of).

"Oh, I see," Katie said.

"It's not like that, don't give me that look Katie. We're just friends."

"Friends, sure," Katie said rolling her eyes. "Right this way you two." She brought them to the back room and then up a back staircase to a rooftop with more people. Annabeth's eyes popped out.

"Oh my gods I've always wanted to eat on top of a building!" She squealed. Percy grinned in the moonlight and the bonfires that were roaring on top of the building for warmth and light. Katie lead them to a table in the middle of the rooftop near a massive fire.

"I'll send someone up to get your orders right away Percy," Katie said, flashing him a grin and then leaving.

"You seem very friendly with the staff here," Annabeth said. Percy shrugged as he opened the menu.

"I come here a lot, Ceres' is the best place to eat other than Taki's. The pasta is incredible."

"Ceres?" Annabeth asked. "As in the Ceres? Oh gods, is this Demeter Ceres' restaurant? The one of Food Network."

Percy grinned. "She's my aunt." Annabeth's jaw dropped. "What can I say? Our family is incredibly famous."

"Except for you, Thalia, and Jason, you squatters," Annabeth said with a grin. Percy flinched and she wondered why.

"Yeah, except for us," he muttered. And then his eyes lit up. "So what are you going to get? Unless you want to close your eyes again and chose randomly."

"Why not," Annabeth said, grinning.

"What?" He asked.

"If you do it with me," she said. Percy grinned back.

"You're on."

A man came up, dressed in black slacks and a crisp white shirt with dark red hair and brown eyes. He stopped in front of the two of them and looked at them. "What can I get for you two?" He asked, winking at Annabeth. Annabeth blushed and looked down at the menu again. Percy glared at him. He didn't know why he was glaring at the waiter, but for some reason he felt very protective of Annabeth.

Why was that?

"What's your special?" Percy asked, lounging back in his chair. The waiter, who's nametag said Cole, promptly recited back the special. "Great, we'll take two."

Cole nodded. "Anything to drink?" He looked at Annabeth.

"A blue coke and make it quick," Percy snapped, angered at the attention on Annabeth. He knew the stories about Cole from Katie and Ceres, he slept around with any girl that wasn't a sight for sore eyes, and Annabeth was anything but ugly.

Cole glared at Percy and the two of them had a silent war between the two of them, Annabeth completely oblivious to it as she looked at the drink selection. "I'll have a lemonade," she said softly and then handed her menu to Cole. Percy shoved his towards Cole as well. Cole disappeared.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked.

"What?" Percy asked.

"You seemed a bit…. I don't know edgy with the waiter."

"Really? I didn't mean to," Percy said dismissively, waving his hand. In the darkness of the night sky he removed his sunglasses so that Annabeth could see the deep green reflecting the red flames that licked the stars.

Percy was about to ask her something when he saw a bright light flash. He instinctively raised his hand to his face. Annabeth was looking around curiously. "Oh my gods! It's Percy Jackson!" A girl screeched as loud as she could.

Which was very loud.

"What?" Annabeth asked confused. Percy let out a groan.

"Listen Annabeth I wanted to tell you but I didn't want anything to change I..." Suddenly their table was overcrowded by a bunch of people, cameras flashing, cell phones recording. Annabeth flinched back from it all as Percy tried to stop it.

"Percy what's going on here?" He heard her say.

"Mr. Jackson who's your lady friend over here?"

"Mr. Jackson have you and Miss Dare broken up?"

"Mr. Jackson when is your next album coming out?"

"Mr. Jackson how long have you been sleeping with her for?"

"WHAT!" Annabeth said. She stood up angrily, grabbing her bag.

"Wait Annabeth," Percy said, trying to get up out of his seat but he was crowded by a large group of people all shoving different objects in his face.

He was ready to explode.

"Annabeth!" He called. But by then she had disappeared into the crowd.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath and fell back into his chair with a heavy thud, ignoring all of the bright flashes around him.

Strike one up for Percy Jackson on the Failure to the Extreme Chart.

**So here we go. I wrote this while I was watching the Super Bowl so… well what do you think? I've decided to take a while and write about this story and why it's like this. **

**Okay so first, the reason why they seem so oblivious to everything around them and why Annabeth wasn't able to tell that Percy was ****_the_**** Percy Jackson was because: Honestly would you guess that the boy you were talking to was an international singing sensation. I doubt it. And plus she doesn't like Percy Jackson all that much. So that's why she had no clue that it was him. Not because she's dumb, she just had no idea it would be him. But now she knows. So what's going to happen?**

**Okay so the song in this chapter is called Battle Scars and you should look it up on Youtube it's soooo amazing and it fit really well with my W4W so I used it. It's not original in case you're wondering. It's someone else's. So look it up and watch the video. I love it! **

**Also every W4W or T4H are mine (unless pointed out in the Author's note that someone else gave me the idea) but if you want, you can quote me and everything. I give you permission **

**So the Frozen movie I went to was the SING ALONG version! Which means that I could sing as loud as I wanted to in the auditorium. Best thing in the whole wide world! Completely genius!**

**So is anyone else watching the super bowl? I wonder if posting this now means that no one is going to read it but oh well. I really want this to get posted. I'm in love with it. I'm in love with Percy and Annabeth and I have some amazing things planned for in the future EEP! I'm so excited!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- I'm working on another story, it's called A Thousand Years (based off of the song by Christina Perri who I adore!) It's a Percabeth story again **

**Post Post Script- I finished Code Name Verity- It's AMAZING! It's pretty dark but it's amazing! Now I'm still working on the Hollow City and Looking for Alaska.**

**Post Post Post Script- Oh what did you all think of about protective Percy? I love how he was getting jealous about Cole thinking Annabeth was cute. **

**Post Post Post Post Script- A song I've fallen in love with lately: Hallelujah. It's beautiful and incredible and just perfect.**

**Post Post Post Post Post Script- Message ME! And REVIEW! AND FAVORITE AND FOLLOW! DO IT! PLEASE!**


	19. HELP!

**Okay Chapter Nineteen. Um… I've decided to write a semi-light chapter because we've been through a lot lately. Hope you like it! Tell me what you think!**

**Chapter Nineteen HELP!**

"What the hell is this?" Percy looked up to see a very, very angry Nico standing over him as he lay on his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"That is the New York Times I believe," Percy said casually as he rolled over onto his side, not in the mood to argue with Nico, not in the least bit. He just wanted to continue his pity party with himself over the events of the last day.

And plus his head hurt like the dickens.

And she would not pick up her damn cell.

"Oh shut up Percy, what the heck happened last night? Why are you plastered all over the front page of the New York Times with a blonde chick and the world now asking who she is?" Nico asked, throwing the paper onto the bed with an emphasized sound.

"I don't know, maybe if people minded their own business," Percy said, putting his hands to his temples, gods he should have known better than to drink that much last night after he had gotten home. "Then this wouldn't have happened."

"Damn it Percy! I knew this was a bad idea! When are you going to stop being a child! Why couldn't you just write your damn songs and call it good? Why did you insist on having to find her? Now look at the mess we're in."

Percy heard his phone buzz and he quickly snatched it off of his nightstand and turned it on. The bright flashing lights hurt his head but he was waiting for a text from Annabeth.

Instead it was a text from his redheaded nightmare asking what had happened last night. Great, just great. He let out a loud moan and buried his head in his pillow. "Why won't she text me back!" He complained, sounding like a teenager.

He didn't care. He was so pissed off at what happened last night. In fact… he didn't quite know what happened last night.

"Honestly Percy that's what you care about? Do you not realize that you have only three more days until those songs are due and you still have at least seven more to write? Do you have any idea what the hell you're going to have to do?" Nico asked.

"I can't believe I just ruined it like that," Percy said, still not caring about what Nico was talking about. "I should have told her."

Nico groaned and finally leaned close to Percy but then he instantly recoiled. "Gods Percy are you drunk?"

"No, I was last night," Percy said somewhat casually as his face was buried into the pillow. "Surprised you didn't see the mess in my studio."

Nico flinched upon hearing that. He was not in the mood to have to clean up. Imagine his surprise when he had gotten off his plane to see a newspaper and magazine stand plastered with pictures of Percy and a blonde chick whom Nico guessed was the writer of the Letter Writer. He had hurried home as fast as he could.

"Percy get up, you have to get to work," Nico said, nudging Percy but he refused to move. Nico groaned again, when Percy became stubborn there was no moving him until he got what he wanted.

"Listen Percy, if you start working on those songs, I'll try and get the girl… what's her name again?"

"Annabeth, Annabeth Chase," Percy said, all of a sudden sitting up straight.

"I'll try and get Annabeth Chase over here to talk to you okay and quite possibly help you?"

* * *

"How could you forget to mention the small detail that oh I don't know… your cousin is fricken Percy Jackson!" Annabeth yelled at Thalia as they sat in Thalia's living room. Jason had disappeared on a date with Piper once he saw Annabeth enter the room which was probably the wisest thing for his health.

"Must have slipped my mind," Thalia shrugged. "Minor detail."

"Minor detail! What the heck Thalia? You think it's a minor detail that your cousin is one of the most famous singers on the planet?" Annabeth shrieked.

Thalia flipped on the TV. "I don't know, when your dad is Zeus and your uncle is Poseidon, things like that kinda slip your mind."

Annabeth groaned. "I wish that you didn't have such a famous family. Maybe then I wouldn't look like a complete and total idiot when I was with him."

"Don't blame me," Thalia said, holding her hands up in surrender mode. "He was the one who also forgot to mention that he was an international pop star."

Annabeth's eyes blazed. "I know, don't think that he's off the hook too. That's just not something that you forget to mention to a girl when you go out with her… not that we were on a date or anything… it was more like a mutual get together… or more like just a … you know what why am I telling you this?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because I'm your best friend and you have a tendency to spill your guts to me whenever you're mad. Honestly, it's the only time I can figure anything out about you."

Annabeth folded her arms. "Gods it was embarrassing, all of those cameras flashing everywhere and the people asking all those questions. Like 'Mr. Jackson when did you start sleeping with her?'" Annabeth mimicked in a high pitched voice which was supposed to be like the girl who had asked the question.

"Annabeth, never quit your day job to become an impressionist," Thalia said, flipping through the channels.

Annabeth gave her the evil eye of death.

"I should have known when he always showed up with a baseball cap or sunglasses but I just thought, 'hey maybe he has a think for baseball caps and sunglasses.' Gods I'm an idiot at sometimes," Annabeth said, burying her head into the couch's pillows.

"An idiot who also managed to make all of the breaking news stories on the TV," Thalia said, her voice in awe. Annabeth shot up from where she was sitting.

"What?" She demanded.

"Look," Thalia said pointing towards the screen.

Sure enough there was a picture of Percy last night at Ceres' looking completely and utterly annoyed. "You know it's a brilliant picture of the back of your head Annie, the photographer really did your curls justice."

"Shut up," Annabeth mumbled as she listened to the news reporter, a thin woman who had too much makeup plastered on her face and a smile that ranged somewhere between Swiss and mozzarella cheese on the cheesy scale.

"That's right ladies and gentlemen, a new girl. International singing sensation Percy Jackson was seen last night at the famous restaurant Ceres, which his aunt Ceres owns, with a girl. A girl who was definitely not Rachel Elizabeth Dare who was last said to be Mr. Jackson's current girlfriend. So who is mystery girl? That is the question. No one knows for sure and ET is asking for any information leading towards mystery girl as well as a large sum of money for anymore pictures of the couple."

"Great, just great," Annabeth muttered. "Now I'm going to be a laughing stalk of the world."

"Maybe not the world… just in England, most of continental Europe, China, Japan, some parts of Africa, Brazil, oh who am I kidding probably the whole world. You know what I could use some cash… maybe I should give ET that picture I took of you when you were laughing so hard that..."

Even though no one was in the room Annabeth screeched and leaned over to cover her mouth with the palm of her hand. "Don't you dare," she said, giving her another glare. Thalia raised her hands, her electric blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Okay, okay," Thalia said.

Annabeth leaned back in her seat, satisfied. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Thalia looked at her to answer it but Annabeth just shrugged. "I'm not in the mood to talk to him," she said. "And he's been texting me since last night every ten minutes, it's getting annoying." She turned her phone on and then off to stop the annoying buzzing and set it down next to her.

"That's what happens when you give your number to a boy," Thalia said.

"You act as if you have experience," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"Ha ha ha," Thalia said. "It is to laugh. So what are you going to do about your Percy problem?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Ignore him I guess, I act like it didn't happen. It wasn't like we really knew each other or anything."

"You just went on a date, that's all."

"It wasn't a date!" Annabeth said indignantly. "And I'm sorry but you just don't forget to tell the girl that you're hanging out with that you're actually a famous singer and a billionaire. I mean even if he just mentioned it quickly like, 'hey I'm actually the Percy Jackson,' that would have helped."

"I love how we put the 'the' in front of the Percy as if there's more than one Percy Jackson," Thalia mused.

"Not helping Thals," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. But she was used to it, Thalia never had been the best in situations with boys, she usually thought boys were nothing but trouble and whenever Annabeth was dumped by a boy (which only happened twice in her life and once was when she was in second grade) Thalia's solution was to go and murder the boy, or in Thalia's words 'to make him turn into an armadillo.'

Annabeth buried her head in her hands. "I'm so embarrassed and I'm such a moron to not notice it!" She said. "I mean there were so many damn signs!"

"Don't beat yourself up Annie, it's not like you were thinking that he could even be Percy Jackson, I don't think that it usually crosses your mind that the person you're dating is an international sensation."

"It wasn't a date," Annabeth grumbled. Annabeth looked at her phone to see another text from Percy. She rolled her eyes. "I've got to get home, I have to post a new thing on Writer's Corner which I promised I'd do yesterday but I got a bit… preoccupied."

"Oh speaking of Writer's Corner, I read your story," Thalia said.

"And, what did you think?"

"That if you send this into that publisher again and she says that it's total trash, than its official. She's blind. It's the most amazing story ever."

* * *

**Excerpt from The Letter Writer by WiseGirl36 **

_Hannah was leaning against the window, tired and weak but trying to show that she was strong, stronger than what everyone else thought she was. She pressed her forehead against the glass, the coolness gratifying. Dr Tanner had gone to get Birch from the waiting room. Hannah was wracking her brain for why Birch Waters, the boy who was considered "bad" by everyone at school, the boy who had tattoos all over his body, who smoked and drank. Why did he want to see her? It wasn't as if he could have known that she had cancer. _

_And then, even if he did, why would he care?_

_They weren't friends or anything, there was that run-in they had in the library a few weeks ago but Hannah remembered being incredibly rude to him (of course she had a reason, she had been in a lot of discomfort from her new treatment). Then again he hadn't been the nicest of people either. _

_The door open but Hannah didn't turn away from the window, knowing very well that it would make Birch stand there uncomfortable. "Hey," he said awkwardly ._

_"Hey," she said, not even bothering to turn and look at him like she knew she should. _

_"I… I'm sorry," he said slowly as if trying to determine what he was going to say, as if he didn't know what to say._

_"Sorry about what? It's not your fault that I have cancer is it?" Hannah said coldly._

_"It's more like a sympathy Hannah," Birch said calmly._

_"Why are you even here? It's not like you know anything about me," Hannah said, looking at the grey skies that covered everything. It seemed like her mood, grey and boring, dull and tired._

_"Really? I know that you like pomegranate seeds and mango sorbet. I know you like snow and don't like hot summer days." Hannah looked up at this. Very few people knew that she actually despised summer, sure she liked getting out of school but she hated the heat, it was just an odd quirk about her. "Your favorite color is silver and you hate cats. You have a fear of heights and of failure." Hannah turned around and looked at Birch, staring at his dark eyes._

_"And what else do you know?" She asked._

_"I know you have thyroid cancer which has spread to your lungs and you yourself don't think you'll live much longer. But you want to be an architect and travel Europe looking at the ancient architecture. You are rebellious even though you don't appear to be. But most of all, you didn't tell anyone about your cancer because you don't want to be pitied."_

_Hannah felt misty eyed for a moment and she cursed herself for feeling so emotional. "Damn it, I didn't want to cry," she said out loud and then sat down on her bed and touched the tubes which were inserted into her nose to help her breathe. Dr. Tanner said that when her lungs got stronger she could take them out but for now they felt so weird as they were attached to a tank of oxygen. She felt like one of the girls that her friends used to laugh at… ha, if only they could see her now._

_"So you found my letters?" Hannah asked, looking down at her hands._

_Birch sat in the chair across from her and studied her face. "Yeah, it was an accident really but once I started it was hard to stop." _

_"Good to know that at least someone enjoyed them," Hannah said. "At least someone knows who I really am. Now you know everything." She spread her arms out as if demonstrating. _

_"And you know what I think?" Birch said. Hannah shrugged, signaling for him to go on. "I think you're scared Hannah Aspen."_

_"Scared?" Hannah asked. "Me? Never." Birch nodded._

_"I think that you're scared to die."_

_Hannah snorted. "Honestly? That's what you got out of my letters? You know just a few hours ago I thought that I was going to die and you know what I thought? I thought, I'm ready to go. I'm sick and tired of this life."_

_"That's not what I mean, I mean that you're afraid of dying without doing something. Afraid of not leaving some sort of mark on the world."_

_Hannah stared at him in shock and then cleared her throat. "No one's ever told me that," she said slowly. _

_Birch nodded. "I think that you don't want to die without being you and so that was why you were writing those letters, because when you wrote them, you were yourself. You're not rebelling Hannah, you're just being yourself."_

_"And what is myself?" Hannah asked, lacing her fingers together like a steeple and leaning forward. "Who is Hannah Aspen?"_

_"That is an excellent question and one I'm still trying to figure out. But do you want to hear my theory?" Birch said, smiling._

_"Love to," Hannah said._

_"I think that Hannah Aspen is a fighter. I think that it's written in her DNA that she will never stop fighting. I think that Hannah Aspen is a believer. A believer in the things unseen and the things that we'll never truly understand. I believe that Hannah Aspen is constantly looking for the life after this. I think that Hannah Aspen has tasted a bit of Heaven from her experience with cancer."_

_"What do you mean by that?" Hannah asked, her brow furrowing. Never had someone spoken to her like this, it was different and yet at the same time it was… good._

_"I think that through your cancer you've become stronger than most of the other people. And through the struggles you've seen the Light. You've tasted the hope. And I think that even though you're telling yourself that you're giving up, you can't. You won't go down without a fight. And yet at the same time, you're ready. Does that make sense?" Birch asked, looking into Hannah's violet eyes. He had wanted to speak these words ever since he had begun to read those letters. "You're not afraid to die and yet you are. You don't want to be forgotten."_

_"I hate oxymoron's," Hannah muttered. She clutched her hands into fists. "You know that other than Dr. Tanner you're the only other person to come and visit me?" She said, her eyes growing cold and hard. "My own parents haven't come and seen me. They probably think that I'm dead or something. They're probably already planning my funeral. _

_But I'm not dead am I?" Hannah said._

_"Not in the least bit."_

_"I wrote the letters because I thought maybe… maybe someone would notice when I'm gone. Do you know how it feels to not have your own parents caring? Sure they might cry but I know deep down, my parents aren't going to always be sad. They've never been sad before."_

_"I think that you're not giving them enough credit," Birch said._

_"You don't know my parents."_

_"No, I don't. But I read your letters and I know you. And obviously they must have done something good to the world by bringing you here."_

_"For all we know they didn't bring any good by giving birth to me," Hannah laughed bitterly._

_"Obviously you're not done yet with your purpose for the world or else you'd be dead. If whoever is up there in the sky didn't let you die, then there's something else you're going to do."_

_"You believe in God?" Hannah asked._

_"I believe in hope and I believe in a greater calling up above and if that's God, then yes I guess I do. But no matter who's up there, even if there's nothing, I know one thing about you Hannah Aspen."_

_"And what's that?"_

_"I know that you've changed at least one person's life."_

_"Oh yeah? And whose life is that?" Hannah asked and for a moment, staring at Birch Waters with his black clothes, with his smoking smelling breath and his tattoos, she felt her heart leap a bit._

_"Mine."_

**End Excerpt from the Letter Writer by WiseGirl36**

* * *

Annabeth was officially annoyed now.

She had gotten twenty new texts in the past hour. It was getting a little ridiculous. But this time it was different.

It was a call.

And it wasn't Percy's number.

So she deemed it safe to pick up.

"Hello?" She asked, yawning. It was getting late and she had to get up early tomorrow to get to work.

"Hello, is this Annabeth Chase?" A smooth voice said over the speaker.

"Yeah, and who is this?" She asked.

"This is Nico di'Angelo. I'm Percy Jackson's manager and right now the only guy that's keeping him from going insane." Annabeth snorted.

"So now he's gotten you to call me? Well you can tell him that I'm not in the mood to talk to him right now."

"No I'm actually doing it because while he's not going insane, I am. Listen, he refuses to work on his song lyrics which are supposed to be done in a few days. And the only way he'll work on them if he can talk to you and apologize. If he doesn't get it done then he's toast. Mr. D, that's the guy at Olympian Records, he's not a very patient man." Annabeth felt bad for the guy on the other end of the phone, he sounded like he was about to faint from exhaustion. Poor guy.

"I'm sorry but I'm not exactly ready to talk to him," Annabeth said. "I'd like to help but not right now."

"Listen, I know that Percy can be a world class pain in the butt but please, I don't know what else to do. I'm a terrible writer. Give me some math problems or the graphs of the statistics of something and hell I'll know what to do but when it comes to words I have no clue."

Annabeth sighed. Damn her good conscience.

"Okay… I'll come. Where does he live?"

* * *

Annabeth had never been to an apartment where the elevator opened up into it. Then again she'd never been to a penthouse. Even Thalia's place wasn't as nice as this place. She stepped in awkwardly, looking around at the large living room which it opened into. All of her furniture added together wouldn't equal the couch that was sitting in front of the TV.

"Um… hello?" Annabeth called into the empty air awkwardly. This was by far the most awkward moment in her life. She clutched the cardboard box she was carrying as if it was security blanket.

"Hey there," a man with unruly black hair and ghost white skin, with black eyes said as he walked into the living room from a large arch that led farther into the apartment. "You must be Annabeth, I'm Nico," he said. He held his hand out for her to shake it but when he saw the box he dropped it.

"Nice to meet you Nico," Annabeth said, smiling. "Where's Seaweed Brain?" She asked.

"Follow me, he's been in his studio trying to come up with some coherent idea but he's not doing too well at that." Nico led Annabeth back to a large kitchen with a den off to the right of it. Nico knocked on the door and then pushed it open.

Inside Percy was sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of paper and scores of music, his guitar on his lap as he was mindlessly strumming on it, his brow furrowed in concentration. He looked up when the door opened and then instantly set his guitar down and jumped up, straightening his jacket.

"I'll be in my room," Nico said, "I'll leave you two to this." And then he disappeared.

Annabeth set the box down as well as the drink carrier and then shoved her hands into her pockets awkwardly. "Hey," Percy said softly.

"Hey," she said back.

"Listen Annabeth…"

"I'm not in the mood to talk about it right now Percy, I came only because your friend Nico seemed like he was ready to pass out because of you," Annabeth said coldly. She wasn't ready to forgive him. Call it one of her fatal flaws but she was incredibly prideful."So let's just get this thing done. I have work in the morning."

Percy nodded. "What's in the box?" He asked, nodding to the box Annabeth had brought in.

"Pizza, deep dish," she said casually. Percy raised an eyebrow.

"From Taki's?" He asked.

"Would it be from anywhere else?" she asked. "Oh and I brought you a milkshake since you said that you usually drink one when you're working and I guess this is considered work for you."

"You didn't have to do that," Percy said.

"I know." Annabeth handed him the milkshake. "But I'm a nice person so I did."

Percy looked at it and smiled. "It's even blue. You remembered."

Annabeth felt her face turning red. "So what are you working on?" She asked coming to sit down near Percy's stuff.

"Trying to write seven songs in three nights," Percy said with a heavy sigh.

"Percy! You're such a Seaweed Brain! You can't write seven songs in three nights! How the heck did you even get in this situation?" Annabeth sighed exasperated.

"You underestimate my ability of procrastination," Percy said with a grin.

"And that ability makes you very, very stupid," she said with a sigh. "Why did you need me?" she asked.

"Because you're good with words. I have some songs done but I have no idea to heck what on earth to do with them. They just don't make any damn sense!" He said, exasperated.

"You're the one who wrote them and you can't make sense of them, that's bad Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, picking up a song entitled: Kiss Me Slowly. She read out the lyrics:

_Stay with me, baby stay with me,_

_Tonight don't leave me alone_

_Walk with me, come and walk with me, _

_To the edge of all we've ever known_

_I can see you there with the city lights_

_Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes_

_I can breathe you in._

_Two shadows standing by the bedroom door, _

_No I could not want you more than I did right then_

_As our heads lean in._

_Well I'm not sure what this is gonna be_

_But with my eyes closed all I see_

_Is the sky line through the window_

_The moon above me and the streets below_

"What do you think?" Percy asked, looking at it critically. "I can't figure out a single chorus though and it's driving me nuts."

"It's good," Annabeth said. "Amazing that you create these lyrics the night before… and on nothing but blue milkshakes. Then again sometimes it's quite obvious also at times."

"Haha," Percy said, looking at another piece of paper and making a note with a pencil.

"Okay… let's do this," Annabeth sighed, picking up another pencil and writing a line underneath the song. It was like poetry, you wrote your heart. It was like her letters. That's all these song lyrics were, her letters set to music:

_Hold my breath as your moving in_

_Taste your lips and feel your skin_

_When the time comes, baby don't run_

_Just kiss me slowly._

**Um so what do you think? I just want to make it very clear that Annabeth has still not forgiven Percy. She just felt bad for Nico and decided to help. That's all. This chapter is lighter because we've been through a lot right? **

**Okay a few quick notes: **

**1. Please! If you know a song that you adore and would fit well with this story, or any song with beautiful lyrics, I only like songs with beautiful lyrics then let me know! Please! Please Please! I need songs for Percy and Annabeth to work on.**

**2. The song on here, Kiss Me Slowly is by Parachute who is one of my absolutely favorite bands! I love them sooo much!**

**3. I am officially a Beta now. So if you want me to Beta for you I WOULD LOVE TO! I don't exactly know how to do it but I'm a quick learner.**

**4. Can we get to 500 reviews? Please!? And Favorites and follows? I know that a bunch of people read this story so can we favorite and follow? I want to show my parents that it is possible for me to write.**

**5. I'm working on another story called A Thousand Years. I got the idea from how Mr. D calls everyone by different names that are similar to their own but aren't. I'm really, really excited for it!**

**6. Okay about my book that was published. It's called the Descent of Darkness and you can find the first half of it online for free on my goodreads account. I online published it and the pricings weird so don't you dare try to buy it! It's nowhere near as good as this story! So if you like the first half, I'll post the other half for free on my goodreads account. You can find the link on my profile.**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- I am currently reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green! Love this book! J Oh and Plato's Republic. **


	20. Falling Slowly

**So guess what? My school got a snowday! Whoot whoot! I love snowdays! Um so I do mention Plato in here… sorry 'bout that. I'm reading the Republic which is an incredibly deep book right now and some of the stuff in it stuck in my mind. I was reading about Socrates' view of education and how it was supposed to be centered around music and I nearly freaked about some of the stuff he said. I even wrote in big letters down my book: PERCY!**

**Chapter Twenty Falling Slowly**

_"Because rhythm and harmony most of all insinuate themselves into the inmost part of the soul and most vigorously lay hold of it in bringing grace with them."_

_~Plato's Republic_

Percy woke up to the sun shining directly in his face from the open window. He moaned and lazily covered his eyes with his arm. He once again realized how much he wished that he could control the blinds using his mind like a super hero in those comics he read when he was little. Then he wouldn't have to get up and close them.

Stretching, he stood up from where he had fallen asleep on the floor, the papers he had been laying on had made an imprint on his cheek. He rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand and then closed the blinds.

Turning around he saw that most of the room had been cleaned. It had been a mess last night in Percy's frantic attempt to compose. Music had been thrown wherever he saw fit, there were left over glasses all over and even a few cans of beer. But now all of the music had been neatly stacked, the glasses had disappeared and the cans were tossed in the trash. They were crumpled up as well, probably a sign of what Annabeth thought of his drinking habit. All of the music she had been working on was stacked in a neat pile on the table where she had sat. Percy smiled.

Even the pencils were organized by size.

A note was on the table:

_Seaweed Brain, I have to go to work, I'll be back around five for Round 2. ~Annabeth_

Percy put the note down and rubbed his tired eyes. He picked up the sheet of paper on top of the stack, reading the words Annabeth had written around the chorus. He easily picked out a tune from his mind (he had a gift for music, then again if he didn't he wouldn't be here now would he?) Smiling to himself he picked up Riptide from where it lay on the ground.

He strummed out a few notes, singing the chorus of the verse out loud:

_I'll be your crying shoulder, _

_I'll be love suicide_

_I'll be better when I'm older_

_I'll be the greatest fan of your life._

He jotted down the notes onto a piece of music paper that was lying on the ground. The chorus had been inspired by a W4W he had read in a letter where his letter writer had been talking about the different "jobs" of people.

_W4W: I'll be your shoulder for when you are crying and I'll always be getting better and better, I'll always strive to love you, to never ever let you go. Because once I've found you, my soul mate, my one true love if there is such a thing as true love in this messed up world, I'm never going to let go. I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you for forever. And ever. _

Percy had known when he read that letter that it wasn't meant for him, that he wasn't the one she was talking about. But still… he had hoped. In fact sometimes he still did. For a while, his letter writer was the only person in the world who understood him.

And then came along Annabeth.

Annabeth, who seemed to be a walking contradiction. How could someone be so hopeful and yet at the same time so depressed and lonely?

But Annabeth understood him in a way that no one else could, and they had only known each other for a few days. It was evident in the way that she was able to easily adapt to Percy's writing style, sounding just like he did.

The sign of a true writer was when they were able to create their own style and yet also imitate others.

Last night, Percy had to keep biting his tongue from trying to talk to Annabeth about their failed dinner but he didn't want her to get madder at him that she already was. So instead they had worked side by side, Annabeth writing lyrics and Percy composing the music.

All they talked about was words and music.

Two of the greatest things in the world.

It was crazy really. Who had ever heard of something like this happening? It was like something out of a book or a bad movie. It was a miracle.

This experience, well it proved to Percy that maybe, just maybe, miracles did happen.

And one of them was named Annabeth Chase.

"There you are, I was beginning to wonder if you had gone awol (**Is that the proper word? I don't know maybe it's not) **and had left me to do all of the work," Malcolm said as Annabeth rushed through the front door to Olympian Scrolls.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said, out of breath, having just run all the way from the subway station.

"Be lucky Athena's not here and it's just me," Malcolm grinned, leaning his back against the counter and looking at Annabeth through the doorway into the back room where she hung up her coat. "But I do believe I deserve an explanation for why you're late."

"I had to run to my apartment and change," Annabeth said as she quickly pulled her wild curls out of her face and into a ponytail, she didn't have time to do her hair at her apartment when she had ran back to change.

"And why did you have to change?" Malcolm asked, leaning forward. He was suddenly very curious as to where Annabeth was last night. She didn't seem like the sort of girl to have a one night stand with a guy.

"I was at Percy's house."

Then again he had been wrong before.

His eyes popped open and Annabeth looked up from where she had been observing her hair in the mirror to make sure that it was at least passable and didn't look like she had a massive rat's nest. "Oh gods no! Not like that!" She shrieked. "I was helping him with his work!"

Malcolm nodded slowly. "Good because if you were doing… _that_ then I would have to have a serious talk with you about getting your priorities straight."

"Malcolm, I am not the sort of girl who jumps at the chance to crawl into a guy's bed," Annabeth said saucily and she put her hands on her hips. "We were working on a project of his."

"And what is this project?" Malcolm asked, raising his eyebrow. (Once again Annabeth envied the ability to raise one eyebrow).

Annabeth bit her lip. "I can't tell you," she said. "Sorry." She turned her back to Malcolm to signal that the conversation was over. "So what are we doing today?" She asked.

"Athena wanted us to catalog the children's section," Malcolm said. Annabeth nodded. "I'll start on it if you want to watch the front counter."

"Why not, we can switch later," Annabeth said.

"Deal," Malcolm replied. He started towards the spiral staircase, grabbing the iron railing. "Just don't fall asleep Annabeth, you look like you're about to fall over at any minute and curl up in a ball to go to sleep."

"To be honest, that's how I feel," Annabeth said. Malcolm gave her a smile that said that he understood her pain.

"Well don't worry, once your shift is over you can go home and sleep."

"I wish," Annabeth muttered as Malcolm disappeared up the stairs. To be honest she could go home and just forget about helping Percy… but then he'd probably be wallowing in so much work he'd have no idea what to do with himself.

No she had to go back and help him.

And plus, though she would never admit this to anyone, it was kind of fun. Percy understood music like she understood words. And when the two meshed, the poetry with his guitar strings, magic came out.

Music was important. Music was the foundation for many beliefs. You are what you listen to. If you listen to a certain song, no matter how much you tell yourself it doesn't affect you, it will slowly worm its way into a spot in your mind and change you. Music could control you.

Plato had agreed.

Music was your soul.

And working with Percy gave her the chance to write good music. Or at least the words for them.

She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, feverishly working on the words so that Percy could put them to music. A lot of the time he had written the chorus to a song and she would just add words around it to finish the "story", to complete the "picture." Other times he had written the beginning of a song and she would try and finish it, asking him a few questions about what he wanted to convey in his song.

The strange this was, he seemed to know so much about what she believed in.

A lot of his lyrics seemed familiar to her. As if somewhere in her heart, they were inscribed on it.

When Percy had fallen asleep she had nearly laughed at how cute and innocent he looked while he slept, his hand clutching the neck of his guitar, Riptide.

He drooled in his sleep.

And then last night, she had found herself staring at him. And that scared her.

It scared her how he seemed to make all of the strong barriers she had built up crumple into bricks on the ground.

So she left before he had woken up, she had to think and being around him made her logic seem crazy. She had left a note for him and cleaned up.

And then headed home.

"Hey fancy seeing you here," Annabeth looked up to see Luke standing in front of the counter, his elbows resting on it. On his face was his ever present crooked grin. In her thinking she hadn't heard the door open and the bell ring.

"I work here Luke," Annabeth said, sighing as she turned her back to him and pretended to be busy with organizing the back counter.

"So you do," Luke said. "You having fun absentmindedly moving that box around behind the counter?"

Annabeth blushed and turned around to look at her boyfriend… the boyfriend she wasn't too interested in seeing right now. Was that normal? To not want to see your boyfriend?

"What can I do for you Luke?"

"Wow are we going for the professional act right now?" Luke asked, grinning. "That's not usually how you're supposed to greet your boyfriend. Whatever happened to the kiss and the fawning over him like he's a god?"

Annabeth sighed again, honestly he could be so full of himself at times. "Luke I'm working, I'm also really tired and I'm not in the mood," Annabeth said, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Well I know something that'll make you in the mood," Luke said, grinning.

"Oh and what is that?" Annabeth asked, leaning against the counter.

"You and me, tonight, at Ceres, the Italian place that everyone's ranting about." Annabeth flinched at the mention of that name, honestly it brought back bad memories. Memories she was trying to block from her mind. Behind a brick wall. A thick brick wall.

"Sorry Luke, I already have plans tonight," Annabeth said, trying to sound apologetically but to be honest she was happy that she had to help Percy. She was glad she had an excuse to not see Luke tonight.

She was finding herself thanking the stars for Percy.

Luke's brow creased. "Plans?" he asked, his voice full of suspicion. Annabeth cringed. Luke had always been possessive and clingy back in high school. In fact, looking back on it all, he always had been. Ever since they had first met on the playground.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I'm helping a friend right after work. He's trying to finish some writing projects for his work and needs help."

"He?" Luke asked. Annabeth mentally slapped herself. Idiot for saying he. Now Luke was really going to flip.

"Yeah, he's a friend."

"What's his name?"

"Per- um… Peter," Annabeth said, trying to fix her mistake. But she could tell Luke didn't believe her.

"How did you meet this Peter guy? It's not like you have a lot of friends," Luke said.

"We met at Taki's," Annabeth said. "And for your information I do to have friends!" She said indignantly, sticking her nose up in the air.

"No you don't Annie," Luke said sympathetically. "That's why you need me, I'm the only friend you have here."

Annabeth was fuming. "For your information I do to have friends! Like Thalia and Lacey and Malcolm and Percy!"

"So his name is Percy, not Peter," Luke said. Annabeth turned crimson. Damn it! "Why would you lie to me?"

"No reason," Annabeth said. She took a deep breath. "Look Luke, I don't think that this is working out," Annabeth said. "I'm not the same way I was in high school, things change."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Luke asked, his blue eyes sparkling dangerously. Annabeth stared back defiantly. She knew that look well. He had worn it whenever Annabeth asked about his parents, whenever he didn't get what he wanted and when Annabeth had accused him of cheating on her back in high school.

"No it's just… I don't think it's working. And I don't want to get hurt again."

"Annabeth I'd never hurt you!" Luke said, grasping for her hands but she quickly drew her hands back from his reach.

"Luke, you already did with Tracey. I'm sorry… I just can't do this anymore. I said I'd give it a try but it's not working."

"It's this Percy fellow isn't it?" Luke asked, he sounded almost…

Dangerous.

Annabeth snorted. "Percy?" She laughed. "As if, he's just Seaweed Brain."

"You have a nick name for him? You never had a nickname for me."

"Never knew you wanted one, now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She exited from behind the counter, trying to exude the confidence she was usually known for. But with Luke that confidence was usually shattered and she was left vulnerable.

Quick as a viper, Luke snatched her wrists and held them tight. "You know I don't give up," he said, looking at Annabeth with blazing eyes. "And I don't like sharing." His fingers caressed her cheek and she flinched. A few years ago if he had done that, she would have fainted from excitement but now it just made her feel queasy and sick to the stomach. "Remember that Annabeth, what's mine will be mine." And then he kissed her cheek with his soft lips but to her they felt harsh and rough. He then turned and sauntered out of the store, his hands tucked into his expensive blazer.

Annabeth stared after him and then slumped against the counter, exhausted.

Honestly, he would be the death of her.

o.O.o

"When you break up with a girl is it always so awkward?" Annabeth asked as she entered Percy's studio, carrying a box with the Taki's logo on the top of it. She sat it down on the table in Percy's studio and leaned against it.

Percy wouldn't admit it to anyone except maybe his mom, but he'd been anxiously counting the minutes until Annabeth showed up. He had finished another song that he wanted to play for her.

"I don't know. It's always so taxing for me… having so many girls fawning over you 24/7, it's like a whole other job. Breaking up with them just comes with the territory. I mean I've dated over fifty girls in the past two years." Percy shrugged. "It gets hard at times."

"You poor boy," Annabeth said mockingly.

"I know, I know, I live a rough life," Percy said. "So you broke up with Luke?" He asked.

Annabeth sighed, pushing a curl of blond hair from her eyes. "Yeah, I decided it just wasn't working. Honestly he showed up at work and I decided all of a sudden that I was done."

"Congratulations!" Percy said, clapping his hands. "The scumbag deserved it."

"Percy!" Annabeth said.

"Annabeth!" Percy said, mimicking her whiney tone. "Admit it, he wasn't worth all the trouble."

"No I guess not," Annabeth sighed.

"Good glad you came to your senses about scar face," Percy said.

"Come on Percy, it's not like you even know Luke," Annabeth said. "You can't exactly judge him."

"Of course I can judge him, I am a great judge of character," Percy said resentfully. "What's in the box?" He asked, poking around at the box.

"Sandwiches," Annabeth said, opening the box. Percy looked at the sandwiches and grinned.

"Yum," he said. "I always work better on food," he said, picking one up and putting it on a napkin from inside of the box.

"I think that's a universal truth of the world," Annabeth laughed. She walked around the table and picked up a piece of paper. "So what have you gotten done today? And please tell me that you actually did something and not just sit around all day."

"Of course I did something!" Percy said indignantly. "You have such bad faith in me." He took a bite of the sandwich and then set it down and picked up Riptide from where he had leaned it against one of his chairs. He plopped down on the chair and then pulled his guitar pick from his pocket and strummed a chord. "I finished this song, think it's a winner. The lyrics were incredible Wise Girl," Percy said, grinning. And then he began playing, his voice, that ever beautiful, deep and raw voice that made girls fall head over heels for him.

_I don't know you_

_But I want you_

_All the more for that _

_Words fall through me_

_And always fool me_

_And I can't react_

_And games that never amount_

_To more than they're meant_

_Will play themselves out._

_Take this singing boat and point it home_

_We've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice_

_You'll make it now._

_Falling slowly, eyes that know me._

_And I can't go back._

_Moods that take me and erase me_

_And I'm painted black._

_You have suffered enough_

_And warred with yourself _

_It's time that you won._

_Take this sinking boat and point it home_

_We've still got time._

_Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice _

_You've made it now._

_Falling slowly, sing your melody._

_I'll sing it loud._

Percy strummed the last note on his guitar and then looked at Annabeth with those deep sea green eyes. Annabeth smiled at him. "It's beautiful," she said and then she sat down opposite him on a chair.

"It was based off of something I read a long time ago," Percy admitted.

"You seem to base a lot of things off of things you've read," Annabeth said. Percy shrugged.

"Guess so," he said. He didn't tell her where he had found the idea from. He could almost see Annabeth laughing at him when she found out that he got random letters from a girl in a library.

_W4W- I feel like true love isn't born in a quick flash like lightning or at the moment when you look at someone. True love is a long time in the making. First it begins with a friendship, sweet and innocent. Love is falling, it's falling slowly into the arms of someone else. It's trusting someone with all your heart, that's what true love is, it's trust and beauty, hope and sacrifice. True love is not fast. It's falling slowly._

"You know I based a few songs off of your thoughts for the humble," Percy said as Annabeth picked up another piece of paper and began to tap a pen on against her thigh.

"Really?" She asked, looking up at him with her grey eyes. "What song?" She asked.

"Figure it out," he said with a grin. "You're a smart girl."

The door opened and Nico walked in. "I heard your song, sounds good," Nico said. He eyed the box of sandwiches.

"Go ahead and have one Nico," Annabeth said as she scrawled something on the piece of paper.

"Thanks Annabeth," he said, grabbing a sandwich. "Percy how many more songs do you have left?" He asked.

"Two," he said. Nico's eyes popped open.

"What! That's crazy! How… how the heck did you manage to do that?" he asked.

"Annabeth's brilliant with words and I'm not too bad with music if I do say so myself," Percy said, grinning.

"I have no idea what I would have done with him if you weren't here Annabeth," Nico said. "I'd probably end up killing myself."

"And then where would I be?" Percy asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Percy, I know I really shouldn't do this, but Beckendorf called and asked if you would come over to his club tonight and play one of your songs. He meant to book another band for tonight but he forgot to. I wouldn't ask you to do this normally, especially since you have to finish these songs but it's Beckendorf."

"Dude, I'm up for it!" Percy said, jumping up right away. Annabeth stared at them confused.

"Who's Beckendorf?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"Charles Beckendorf," Percy said. Annabeth gave him a blank stare. "You don't know who Charlie Beckendorf is? He was the center for the New York Nix."

"Is that a baseball team?" She asked.

"What!" Percy sputtered. "That's it Wise Girl, I'm going to take you to see a basketball game once we're done."

"Okay," Annabeth grinned.

"So what time do we have to leave tonight?" Percy asked, straightening his shirt.

"Thirty minutes, can you do that pretty boy?" Nico asked.

"Oh shut up ghost boy," Percy said, slugging Nico's shoulder. "Hey Annabeth do you want to come with us?" He asked. Annabeth shrugged.

"Heck why not?" She said.

"Great then," Percy said grinning. "It'll be awesome."

o.O.o

"Honestly what the heck takes him so long?" Annabeth asked, tucking a random curl behind her ear, something she did when she was stressed out. Her and Nico were leaning against the counter in the kitchen, waiting for Percy to come out of his room.

"I've been wondering that ever since I've met him," Nico laughed.

"How long have you known Percy for?" Annabeth asked, looking at the black haired man who was looking at his phone.

"Since high school," Nico said.

"What high school did you guys go to?" Annabeth asked.

"Goode High," he said. Annabeth's blood froze. They went to Goode? She went to the same school as Percy did back when they were teenagers? She wracked her mind for images of them in highschool. She managed to find one of a boy, crowded by a bunch of girls behind the gym, a cigarette in his mouth, his raven hair a mess.

"Gods, it's a small world, that's where I went too," Annabeth said.

"Really? That's weird," Nico said, not even looking up from his phone.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," Percy said, appearing in the kitchen. He had changed into black jeans and a button down blue shirt with a black jacket. He held his guitar case in his hand.

"I think that's a record," Nico said. "For the shortest time you've spent in the bathroom, only 26 minutes. Congrats."

"What did you even do other than change your clothes?" Annabeth asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Percy said, smirking. Annabeth blushed.

"Okay you two, enough with the innuendo Perce, we've got to go," Nico said, shoving his phone into his back pocket. "The car's waiting out front."

The trio headed down the elevator and through the downstairs of Hestia's Hearth. Annabeth was always amazed by the grand interior of the building, compared to Hestia's Hearth, Janus's Doors looked like a dump's dump. She was embarrassed that Percy had seen where she lived.

Outside a long and sleek limo was waiting for them, Percy opened the door for Annabeth. "After you," he said. Annabeth smiled and she felt something strange in her chest when she looked at Percy's goofy grin. She shoved the feeling away. She didn't have time to be star struck by the boy with eyes like the sea and a voice that was from the angels in Heaven.

Great, now she was comparing him to angels.

"I'm glad you're coming," Percy smiled as he sat across from Annabeth, Nico next to him.

"Glad you invited me."

o.O.o

The club was packed. Word had gotten out that Percy Jackson was performing at all of a sudden everyone wanted to be there. Annabeth had been asked to be let out at the corner so that no one could see her and Percy together. She wasn't ready for people to start gossiping about them.

And she could only wonder what Thalia would have to say about it if they made the front page of the news again.

"If you're sure about it," Percy said, looking at her as she smiled at him.

"I'm positive," she said and then hopped out of the limo.

When Percy got out in front of Beckendorf's club, he was instantly assaulted by hundreds of camera, pens and pieces of paper, people screaming and trying to touch him. Two security officers were roughly shoving people to the side as Percy made his way through, all the time searching for Annabeth's golden curls.

At the door Beckendorf was waiting for him, Silena Beauregard, Beckendorf's girlfriend at his side. "Percy! Thank you so much for filling in," Beckendorf said, shaking hands with him.

"No problemo Beckendorf, hey Silena," Percy said, as Silena gave him a hug.

"Hi Percy," she said. Silena was a model for Aphrodite's company and was gorgeous with long black hair that waved perfectly and deep blue-green eyes that seemed to shimmer in the light. She smiled at Percy. "Hi Nico," she said, hugging the other man who hugged her back. Silena was one of the few people that actually got a hug back from Nico. Silena was one of the sweetest women you would ever meet in your life.

"You can go set up on the stage Percy," Beckendorf said, pointing past the bar and the throng of people to the stage that was in the center of the sea of bodies. It was a round stage, something Beckendorf insisted on and was like an island, people were able to stand all around it.

"Thanks Beckendorf, oh and I almost forgot. I have a friend coming, she's tall with blond hair and the craziest grey eyes you will ever see in your life. Her name's Annabeth Chase. Can you make sure she gets in?" Percy asked, shouldering his guitar case.

"Annabeth? Annabeth Chase? As in from Goode?" Silena asked.

Percy gave her a curious look. "She went to Goode?" He asked.

"Duh! Don't you remember? Thalia and her were thick as thieves, she was a bloody genius!" Silena said, her British accent more pronounced. She was born in London and had moved to New York when she was thirteen. "You're so oblivious Percy," Silena laughed.

She went to the same high school he did? Percy thought back to those days that he was trying to forget. All he could remember was a girl with curly blond hair sitting in the library writing furiously. He remembered running into her in the library, knocking everything down.

Gods he was oblivious!

"Don't worry Percy, I'll keep an eye out for her," Beckendorf said. "Piper, Jason and Leo are in here somewhere and I think Juniper and Grover are at the bar."

"Thanks man, when am I on?"

"Fifteen minutes if that works," Beckendorf said.

"Fine by me, how long do I need to fill?"

"At least half an hour if you can. I'm sorry to spring this on you so late."

"No need to worry Beckendorf, you're looking at the king of spontaneity," Percy said and then he headed into the thick of the crowd. There were a lot of girls here.

A lot.

It was driving him nuts. Honestly right now he'd rather be home, watching a movie or working on the songs with Annabeth.

Annabeth… the thought of her almost made him dizzy and weak at the knees. With her long blond curls and eyes like storms, gods there was something about her that drove Percy near the edge of insanity. But it was a good insanity of course. Like the wait before your birthday.

Percy sat himself on the stool and pulled out his guitar. Everyone began to quiet down. It was as if the moment he began to speak no one else would. As if he was the most important person in the room.

Which he probably was.

Percy looked up and saw Annabeth with Silena, laughing about something. Good. She got in alright. She looked up at him, her grey eyes sparkling and she smiled at him.

He couldn't help but smile back.

Tapping the microphone to make sure it worked, Percy cleared his throat. "Hey guys," he said, sweeping his hair from his forehead. "How's the party?" He asked. There was a chorus of answers along with the usual just screaming whenever he spoke. "I'm glad to hear it," he said. "To start off the night I'm going to play Minefield from my new album."

After Minefield he played the Weight of the World and then Battle Scars and finally he played When the Stars Start Falling. When he was finished he looked at the time. He had time for about one more song. "Okay this next song in dedicated to a friend," he said. "A friend who has helped me in more ways than you could ever imagine, she's lifted me up and she's inspired me to dream and never give up. Without further ado ladies and gentlemen, from my new album, I present, The Writer."

The Writer was a song he had written years ago about his Letter Writer but he could never finish it. But for some reason, today he had finished it. He had thought about Annabeth, about the way she smiled, the way she talked, the way she wrote.

And he had written the song for her.

_I wait for a silence_

_You wait for the words_

_Lying next to your frame_

_Boy unobserved_

_You change your position_

_And you're changing me_

_Casting these shadows _

_Where they shouldn't be_

_We're interrupted _

_By the heat of the sun_

_Trying to prevent_

_What's already begun_

_Oh but I've got a plan_

_And why don't you be the artist_

_And make me out of clay?_

_Why don't you be the writer_

_And decide the words I say?_

_Cause I'd rather pretend_

_I'll still be there at the end_

_Only it's too hard to ask_

_Won't you try to help me?_

Sat on your sofa

With it's all broken springs

This isn't a place for

Those guitar strings

Oh I try out a smile

And I aim it at you

Oh you must have missed it

You always do

_Oh but I've got a plan_

_And why don't you be the artist_

_And make me out of clay?_

_Why don't you be the writer_

_And decide the words I say?_

_Cause I'd rather pretend_

_I'll still be there at the end_

_Only it's too hard to ask_

_Won't you try to help me?_

_You wait_

_I wait_

_Casting Shadows_

_Interrupted_

_You wait_

_I wait_

_Casting Shadows_

_Interrupted_

_You wait_

_I wait_

_Casting Shadows_

_Interrupted_

_You wait_

_I wait_

_Casting Shadows_

_And why don't you be the artist_

_And make me out of clay?_

_Why don't you be the writer_

_And decide the words I say?_

_Cause I'd rather pretend_

_I'll still be there at the end_

_Only it's too hard to ask_

_Won't you try to help me?_

_And why don't you be the artist_

_And make me out of clay?_

_Why don't you be the writer_

_And decide the words I say?_

_Cause I'd rather pretend_

_I'll still be there at the end_

_Only it's too hard to ask_

_Won't you try to help me?_

As Percy strummed the last chord on his guitar, he looked out at the audience, his heart pounding in his chest, faster, faster. All he could think about was Annabeth.

He was sure of it.

He was falling slowly.

o.O.o

Annabeth was speechless as she watched Percy perform his song The Writer. She didn't know that he had written it and she was pretty sure it was about her. Her heart was pounding as she met eyes with Percy's green ones.

He smiled.

She smiled back.

Her heart was pounding, faster, faster.

She was sure of it.

She was falling slowly.

**And there it is Chapter 20. They're starting to fall in love! YEAH! So the songs in this chapter: I'll Be by Edwin McCain, Falling Slowly from the musical Once and the Writer by Ellie Goulding. What did you think? Guys I have over 500 reviews! Gods that's amazing! I love you all sooo much!**

**So if you've sent me a message this last week (which i love!) I'll respond to you soon but it's hard with my parents. Another update, I've managed to get onto my Instagram but I'll be hard to get on there a lot but I'll try and get on. The things i do for my fans. I have yet to read my reviews because my mobile version of Fanfiction isn't doing reviews :( Unless I want to pay which i don't because I'm poor and my parents would freak!**

**So tell me what you thought and please review, favorite and stuff because I'm trying to prove something to my parents. Thanks!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Songs are awesome if you have one to recommend!**

**Post Post Script- I'm reading Graceling I love this book! It's like super heroes in the Medieval times! Eek!**

**Post Post Post Script- Message me!**


	21. Counting Stars

**Okay I lied to you on my Instagram and a few others. I had said that the title of this Chapter would be Eros but I changed it. The title of this chapter is actually Counting Stars. I was talking to someone and he told me to try and use it because I was having serious, serious writer's block. It was like writer's thick brick wall of death! But he inspired me to use Counting Stars and so here it is. The song's lyrics are used later in the story. They're not mine. I wish they were but they aren't.**

**I hope you like this chapter. It's for you guys and it's Valentine's Day so guess what happens…. Hahahaha.**

Chapter 21 Counting Stars

_The soul wills that something be supplied to it, it nods assent to itself_

_As though someone had posed a question and reaches out towards the _

_Fulfillment of what it wills._

_~Plato's The Republic_

Annabeth woke up with a stiff neck and incredibly tired. She had gotten back home around two in the morning. Percy had made sure that they drove her home and that she got into her apartment safe and sound. He claimed that you never know what could happen to a young woman in the early morning in New York City.

"I'm a big girl, Percy," she had argued last night when he had insisted they bring her home.

"I know you are, but that doesn't mean anything at three a.m. in New York City," Percy had countered back. In the end she had let him take her home after all of his friends had convinced her by ganging up on her.

Annabeth smiled at the thought of last night and wrapped her arms around her blanket and clutched it to her heart which was beating faster than it usually did. She didn't smile much, but something about Percy, about the way he grinned at her, the way he talked to her, the way he sang, it made her want to smile again and again.

She couldn't stop.

Climbing out of her bed and yawning she set about her apartment to begin making herself some coffee and then sat down in front of her small TV. She took a sip of her mug of coffee and then flipped the TV on.

The first thing she was met with was a flash of picture of Percy. She nearly fell out of her seat as the annoying news lady, Iris, came on the screen.

"And now back to our breaking story," she said with a cheerful grin. Annabeth rolled her eyes, if this was their breaking news then the TV station needed help. "Last night international singing sensation Percy Jackson sang at the club of his good friend Charles Beckendorf the retired center for the New York Nix. While there Percy Jackson sang a song which he entitled, The Writer.

Jackson says that the song was dedicated to a friend who has inspired him and lifted him up. However most of the public hardly believe that this 'friend' is only a friend. Some people are wondering if Ms. Rachel Dare, a self proclaimed artist in her spare time, is the girl referred to in the song as it mentions an artist. Others however are wondering if it was the mysterious blonde seen with Mr. Jackson at Ceres' a few nights ago. Has Percy Jackson managed to catch another one? Time will only tell. If you have any information about Mr. Jackson and his mysterious 'friend' we encourage you to call us."

The number flashed below the screen and Annabeth snorted. The lengths some people would go to try and get a hot story. She felt bad for Percy, always having the cameras flashing in his face and nosy reporters always trying to learn about his life.

Your life should be your life. It shouldn't be the gossip of others. It was just like highschool where everyone liked to obsess over the latest couples and the people who cheated on their boyfriend on their six week anniversary.

In other words, it was pathetic and a waste of time.

Annabeth laughed as more pictures of Percy were flashed on the TV screen, all of them focusing on his tussled raven black hair and captivating sea eyes.

She leaned back against her thrift store couch, clutching her mug in her hands. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened.

What could have happened?

If you had told her only a few weeks ago that she would be helping the famous Percy Jackson write his songs, she would have slapped them outside the face, judo flipped them, and then checked them into a mental hospital. A few weeks ago she _despised _ Percy Jackson.

She thought he was selfish and conceited and not worth her time.

Now looking back on it, she was the one who was those things. Percy was anything but. She laughed when she tried to picture Percy as a manipulative and deceitful person. She just couldn't. Not when he got overly excited about blue milkshakes.

It was amazing how one thing, one moment could change your life for forever. One action could set you on a whole new course of action. If she had never posted her story, would she have ever met Percy? Would she still be depressed and contemplating things that shouldn't even enter your mind? What would have happened? One act can change your life for better or for worse and Annabeth was hoping that it was going to change her life for the best.

_W4W: You never know when you'll meet him. You never know if maybe you'll miss him because you bent down to tie your shoe and he walked right past you, or maybe you decided not to go to your usual coffee shop where he'd be sitting with his friends. Maybe you'll be so focused on trying to make your struggling relationship work even though it never will that you can't seem to notice him. Or maybe he's your best friend and you never can see that he's madly in love with you, maybe you're just too blind to see. There are billions of people on this earth. How can we know who the "right" one will be? Well when the time comes, you'll know. But you have to be willing to open your eyes. Every action leads to another action. Every thought to another thought. And hopefully, every kiss to another kiss._

o.O.o

"I'll be back later tonight," Nico said as he pulled on his signature black leather jacket and grabbed his car keys from off the counter. "Don't do anything stupid when I'm gone. Just finish the songs, name your album and call it a night 'kay?" Nico said.

Percy leaned against the counter in the kitchen, massaging his temples. Last night he had drunk a bit too much and he was suffering from it this morning. "I've got it Nico, you're not my mother."

"No but I'm pretty sure Sally would say the same thing," Nico sighed. He checked his phone and then slid it into his pocket. "Well I'll see you later." He said and then turned and walked towards the elevator. "Hey Annabeth," he said as Annabeth Chase stepped into the apartment, carrying a messenger bag over her shoulder.

"Hi Nico, where are you off to?" She asked.

"I've got a meeting all day today," Nico said with a sigh. "Make sure Percy finishes those songs and he's got a bit of a hangover from last night."

Annabeth laughed. "I told him not to drink that much."

"Honestly he's gotten better, back in highschool he could out drink the whole entire highschool population," Nico said. "Well I've got to go. See you later Annabeth."

"See you Nico," she said as Nico headed out of the apartment and she headed into the kitchen where Percy was collapsed against the counter. "Hey Percy," Annabeth said, slipping her messenger bag off and putting it on the ground.

"Hey Annabeth," Percy said, standing up straighter and wincing. "You're here early."

She shrugged. "I didn't have anything better to do, have you eaten breakfast yet? I haven't and I'm starved."

"Famished," Percy agreed, perking up a bit more at the mention of food.

"What do you have in here?" She asked, opening the refrigerator which was probably worth as much as all of her kitchen appliances put together.

"I don't know," Percy said, "Usually we have a housekeeper make food or we order out. Nico's mastered the art of pasta and cheese so that gets us through when there's not much."

"You mean Nico can make mac and cheese, congratulations for him because it takes such a skilled chef to do that," Annabeth said sarcastically as she dug through the fridge which was jammed pack with all sorts of food. "Do you even eat calamari?" Annabeth asked, pulling the fish out of the fridge and looking at them with a look of disgust.

"Cala whaty?" Percy asked, coming up behind her.

"That's what I thought," she frowned.

"It looks like it still has its eyes," Percy said in all seriousness. "It's scaring me, it's like it's looking into my soul and is trying to figure out how to kill me."

Annabeth sighed and put it back into the fridge. "Yes Percy, the calamari is plotting on how to kill you, except for the fact that it's already dead."

Percy shrugged and leaned against the island in the middle of the kitchen. "You never know, it could be a zombie," he said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Is there anything you can make? And no peanut butter and jelly does not count as something of substance for breakfast."

"I wasn't going to say that," Percy said indignantly. "And you never know, one day the only thing you could have to eat is pb&j and you're going to regret saying that."

"Sure Percy," Annabeth sighed again.

"I was going to say I can make pancakes."

"Perfect!" Annabeth said, smiling. "Get the pancake mix, which I assume you have, out and I'll get the eggs and milk and butter."

"Aye, aye captain," Percy said, in mock salute. Annabeth snorted and pulled the ingredients out. She then went hunting through the kitchen drawers for a large bowl which she found and pulled out triumphantly.

While Annabeth began to measure the milk, Percy cracked three eggs. "Percy!" She said.

"What?" He asked.

"You got eggshell in the bowl!" She said.

"Oh come on there's only a little bit," Percy whined.

"You can't have eggshells in pancakes," Annabeth said, taking a fork and trying to fish the eggshells out but failing.

"Here let me do it," Percy said, sticking a finger into the batter.

"Honestly Percy," Annabeth said, exasperated. "You can't just put your fingers in the batter."

"Well you wanted to get the eggshells out and the fork wasn't working so I tried the next best thing!" Percy said, grinning with that goofy smile Annabeth had somehow managed to become fond of.

"Whatever," she said as she poured the milk in and stirred it. Percy turned on the gas stove and put a frying pan on top and then sprayed it down.

Annabeth scooped a spoonful of batter out of the bowl and dropped it onto the frying pan, it sizzled when it hit the pan. She did the same for two other pancakes. "When do we flip them?" Percy asked impatiently.

"When they start bubbling, you know patience is a virtue," Annabeth said.

"But it's hard being virtuous so why be it?" Percy said. "It's more fun being impatient." Annabeth sighed and shook her head.

Percy made a movement to snag a bit of batter out of the bowl. Annabeth tried to stop him but she wasn't fast enough and he danced away, right out of her range, grinning as he licked his fingers. "It tastes good," he grinned. "But it's missing one thing."

"Oh and what's that?" Annabeth asked, putting her hands on her hips. Percy gave her a mischievous grin and then opened a drawer. He went over to the bowl and put three drops for a little bottle into the bowl and then stirred it.

The batter became a bright blue.

"Perfect!" Percy said.

"Really Percy?" Annabeth asked, shaking her head.

"You can't have pancakes it they're not blue," Percy said as if everyone knew that. "Hey look they're bubbling!" He said. Annabeth quickly slipped her spatula underneath the pancake and flipped it. She did the same for the next two.

"They smell amazing," Percy said, his stomach grumbling. He reached for some more batter but this time Annabeth was ready. She flicked her spatula over at him, sending batter at his face. "Hey!" Percy said as Annabeth laughed.

Percy looked at her with a strange glimmer in his eyes as he turned around and cupped his water under the faucet. He filled it with water and then flung it at Annabeth.

"Hey!" Annabeth squealed. She grabbed a handful of flour and tossed it at Percy. He responded by grabbing the bag of flour from her hand and throwing it at her. She screeched as it covered her in a white powder. "Perseus Jackson!" She yelled but she was grinning. She threw an egg at him but he dodged it and it hit the wall, splattering in a great glory of yellow.

"Oh gods Percy I'm so sorry! I'll clean it up!" She said.

"Ha! Clean it up! Why do you think I've got a house keeper?" Percy asked as he responded by throwing his own egg at Annabeth. She ducked and then grabbed some grapes which were in a bowl on the counter and began pelting Percy with them. He laughed and then grabbed his own spoon and scooped out some of the batter and flung it at her. She side stepped it and it hit the wall behind her.

"Give up yet?" She taunted.

"Never," Percy grinned and then he tackled her to the ground and proceeded to run his messy hands through her curls affectively ruining her hair.

"Ah! Percy stop you big oaf!" She said, trying to push him off as he grinned at her.

"Not till you surrender," he said.

"Seaweed Brain," she said, glaring at him.

"I might be but I'm the one who has you pinned to the ground. So I'd just surrender right now and we'll call it even," Percy grinned.

"Okay, okay, I surrender, now get off of me you big lug!" She said, shoving him with her hands. He stood up and offered her his hand. Annabeth brushed the flour off of her jeans. "Great," she said. "I'm a mess."

"As is the kitchen," Percy said and shrugged. "I'll clean up in here if you want to shower. I can wash your jeans but I doubt your shirt is going to make it out alive," he said, pointing to the grey blouse that Annabeth was wearing. "I have a pile of random t-shirts I get from the different organizations I play for. You can wear one of those."

"Fine," Annabeth said. "Where's your shower."

"I'll show you," Percy said, smiling.

o.O.o

Annabeth was trying to find Percy's stash of regular t-shirts which he had told her was somewhere in his closet. He just had forgotten to mention that his closet was as big as her apartment. And that it was filled with more clothes than Macey's.

"No wonder it takes him forever to get ready. He probably gets lost," Annabeth muttered to herself. And the fact that it was completely unorganized did not help at all. She moved around a random pile of pants and a box filled with different shoes. She was pretty sure that none of them matched. "How the heck does he manage to find anything that he needs?" She wondered as she plucked a strangely patterned shirt from off the floor and flung it to the side.

She finally found a pile of random t-shirts, all of which were a bit large for her. She picked one up, it advertised Taki's so she didn't mind wearing it, unlike the other one that blazed I LOVE BOOBIES! across the front of it. Sure it was to support Breast Cancer and she had no problem with supporting it but she wasn't sure she wanted to wear that in front of Percy.

As she grabbed the shirt and pulled it on over her wet curls, she was intrigued by a brown box in the pile of shirts. She picked it up and opened it. Inside were dozens of envelopes, all with broken seals of crimson. Annabeth felt her hands trembling as she reached in and picked one up. Setting the box on a nearby shelf, she pulled the contents out and gasped.

She recognized that handwriting.

She saw it every day when she wrote:

_I know that every little girl at one point of time or another wants to be a princess but you know something? I've never been pulled towards the idea of being a princess. Princesses just always seem like the damsels in distress and I hate being thought of as weak. I don't want to be weak. I want to create my own story. _

_I think I mentioned that in my first letter. I want to write my own story, with my own pen in hand. I don't want to listen to what people tell me I can and can't do. I think that's why I'm a writer, because I like to create worlds for my characters where they can live and breathe and I can control them. Isn't it sad that I myself feel like I have no control over my own life? Why just yesterday my dad and stepmother told me that I had to go to an academic tournament and I told them I didn't want to. You want to know their response? "When you're eighteen you can decide what to do with your life, but until then your mother and I decide what you do." Those were my dad's exact words._

_Well I don't want to be controlled. I'm planning on doing things so great and wonderful that hopefully someone will remember me. I want to be my own hero._

_But that isn't to say that I don't want a prince charming. I do. I just don't want to be a damsel in distress. Do you understand? Maybe not. So I'll try my best to. I don't want to be the girl who everyone pities because she can't do anything for herself and she has to rely on a man and if her man leaves her she spends her time crying and pouting. (AKA many of the terrible heroines in YA novels. A reason why I'll write something better than that. I mean there are exceptions but… okay I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry). _

_I want my hero to love me and to protect me but also to understand that I like to protect myself at times to. I'm not helpless and I'm not weak._

_I am me. _

_That's it. _

_I'm myself._

_And no one is going to change that._

_W4W- I'm holding on for a hero. While I'm not your average damsel in distress, I'm strong and I'm brave, I'm still waiting for a hero. I'm waiting for a man to come and sweep me off my feet, to love me and to protect me with his life. To love me and understand me even thought I have too many faults to count. I'm waiting for him. But I'm not going to just wait. No I'm going to find him._

_Post Script- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott_

Annabeth felt the letter flutter from her hand and hit the ground.

Percy Jackson had read the letters.

Her letters.

o.O.o

"There you are, I was wondering if you got lost, I mean my closet's big but it's not _that_ big," Percy said, grinning as Annabeth walked into the kitchen. He had cleaned it up and there was a plate of pancakes on the kitchen island and a large pitcher of orange juice as well. "I finished the pancakes and I don't think I burnt them too bad and…" he stopped and looked at her.

There was a dazed expression on her face as if she had seen a ghost. "Hey what's wrong?" He asked, walking towards her. That was when he saw what was in her hands.

It was a small brown box.

It was _his_ box.

"Where did you get that?" Percy asked, his voice full of tension and anger. How could she touch that box? That was _his_ and only _his_. That held some of the most precious things that he had and no one was supposed to touch them. He didn't even let Nico touch them.

"I found it in your pile of shirts," Annabeth said softly.

"That doesn't give you permission to touch it!" Percy said, snatching the box out of her hands and clutching it tightly like it was a lifeline.

He was willing to give _her_ up yet.

No, not yet.

"I know," Annabeth said.

"These are extremely personal! How could you touch them? I wouldn't barge into your house and touch your notebooks with your stories," Percy said angrily.

"You kept them," she said so quietly that Percy almost missed it.

"What?" He asked, confused.

Annabeth looked up at him bravely, her grey eyes flashing dangerously. "They're as much mine as they are yours," she said.

Percy looked at her confused. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"First letter, you found it in a book about the Revolutionary War, I think it was called the War for America."

Percy felt his heart stop.

"The last letter was found in Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis because the writer was leaving for California."

"You're… oh gods," Percy said, stumbling backwards.

Annabeth looked at him, a soft smile across her face. "Hi Percy, I'm the Letter Writer."

**And FINIS! HAHAHAHAHA Like the cliff hanger? Well I'm telling you a secret. If you want, you can scroll down just a little more and find the rest of the chapter. I'm giving you a gift since it's Valentine's day. I won't end it there. J**

Percy sat on the couch in his studio, holding the letters in his hands, looking through each one of them. Annabeth sat next to him, silent.

"So you wrote the letters?" He asked. She nodded. Percy took a deep breath. "You have no idea how long I wanted to write back to you, how much I wanted to and yet I never had the courage to. I was afraid that you would think I was dumb or something. Everything I tried to write just sounded so… childish compared to yours. I always was better at music." He took a ragged breath, he could feel the sobs rising up in his throat.

All these years, these years of searching, of longing.

And his letter writer was sitting in the same room as him.

And she was also the two other girls he had fallen in love with.

Three in one.

Beautiful.

Perfect.

"And then you left and I felt… I felt betrayed and abandoned. You have no idea what those letters did for me. I was falling in love with a girl I had never seen, never met and yet it felt perfect. I felt like I was talking to her and through her letters every time I grew more and more in love with her. And then… then you left." He clenched his fists angrily.

"I was mad at first, and then I was grief stricken. And then I made a promise. I promised that I would live for you." He set his jaw and looked straight ahead. "Once I graduated from highschool, heck I graduated! None of my teachers thought I would. I went to Europe with Nico, we traveled all through Europe because I knew that you wanted to. And I decided to do it for you. If you couldn't I would."

He took another long pause and then began again. "Did you know that I was a part of a gang in high school? I was pretty good at being bad. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol and I had begun cutting myself." Percy pulled the sleeves of his shirt up and showed her the scars on his wrists. "I was done with life.

And then one day, when I forced to be tutored, I found a letter in a book. And that letter changed my life. I don't know how it happened but suddenly I wanted to live. I wanted to live because I wanted to find you. I wanted to meet you and love you and gods… I wanted to kiss you."

Percy noticed tears in Annabeth's eyes as he spoke, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"And then you left… but I never could forget you. How could I forget the girl that actually made my life worth something? All this," he said, waving around the room at the instruments. "All of it was for you. I wanted to earn money so I could find you and take you to Europe and show you the whole world."

Percy stood up and grabbed his iPod from off of the table, he came back and sat down next to Annabeth. "Every song I ever wrote was based off of your letters. Maybe that's why you could write my songs so well, you understood what was in my heart." He scrolled through his playlist. "This one's my favorite," he said.

His voice flooded the speaker. He was playing a guitar and his voice was cracking with emotion as if you could hear the pain and love all in the same song.

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_I see this life like a swinging vine_

_Swing my heart across the line_

_In my face is flashing signs_

_Seek it out and ye shall find._

_Old but I'm not that old_

_Young, but I' m not that bold_

_And I don't think the world is sold_

_I'm just doing what we're told_

_I feel something so right_

_By doing the wrong thing_

_And I feel something so wrong _

_By doing the right thing_

_I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie_

_Everything that kills me, makes me feel alive_

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_I feel the love_

_And I feel it burn_

_Down this river every turn_

_Hope is a four letter word_

_Make that money_

_Watch it burn_

_Old but I'm not that old, _

_Young but I'm not that bold_

_And I don't think the world is sold_

_I'm just doing what we're told_

_And I feel something so wrong _

_By doing the right thing_

_I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie_

_Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly_

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_Take that money, watch it burn_

_Sing in the river the lessons I've learned_

_Everything that kills me, makes me feel alive_

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_But baby I've been playing, I've been playing hard_

_Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars_

_Yeah we'll be counting stars._

_Take that money, watch it burn_

_Sing in the river the lessons I've learned_

When the song slowly died away Percy hit the power button and turned to face Annabeth. Tears were streaming down her face. "You know what that's based off of right?" She nodded. "_I don't care about money at all, I care about stars, I care about wishing on them and counting them. The stars are a promise. Right now in society everyone tells me that I'm doing the wrong thing but it feels so good. And doing what they tell me to do feels so wrong. Why is that? I don't know why. But I'm counting stars now, not dollars."_

"That was one of your Words for the wise that made me decided to go into music. So that I could finally share these words which have been haunting my mind ever since I read them," Percy said with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. And then I think about all the people who tell me that they're changed by my lyrics and I keep doing it."

"But really Annabeth, they're yours. All of these songs are based off of you and your ability to write and change. I should have known it was you when I read your story. There's something about you, about your writing that's just so perfect. And I feel it. I feel it deep in my bones. My heart feels it.

Annabeth Chase, you're one amazing girl."

Annabeth's voice cracked as she began to speak. "I never thought… gods… I never thought my letters would do something like this. I never thought that… well I never thought that they'd change someone. This is crazy and weird and strange and yet at the same time it's perfect and amazing. How can that even make sense?" She asked, tears in her voice.

"Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are the crazy things, the things you never thought would be possible," he whispered, quoting one of her own letters.

Percy looked her straight in the eyes, green seas meeting grey skies. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she looked broken and weary, bruised and tired.

And yet in her brokenness,

He had never seen anything so beautiful.

He leaned in closer to her.

It felt right.

It felt like Heaven on earth.

He pressed his lips to her.

And for once in both of their lives:

Everything was perfect.

**Okay what do you think? Just letting you all know I'm terrible at writing romantic stuff. I've never kissed a guy, I've never fallen in love (well unless Percy, Tobias, Jace and Will count) so sometimes I'm taking a stab in the dark about what to write.**

**Okay it's sooooooo funny because my last update was 5 days ago and everyone has been asking me what's going on and what's wrong and if I'm okay. I'm fine. I just can't update every single day. I wish I could but I can't. Right now I'm at home while my parents are with my siblings having a Valentine Day dinner. Yep, I'm here alone with my brother... kinda sad that we got left out right? My parents are driving my bonkers but I guess you already know that. The quote Annabeth's dad tells her in the letter she reads is actually what my parents told me when I tried to tell them I didn't want to play basketball this spring. And look where it got me... it a boat load of trouble. **

**So guys I would love if you followed me on instagram! Please? I can get onto it every now and then so please follow me? My username is luna_incendia14. Kinda obvious. **

**Message me! Please. I can't always get around to reading reviews right away but I can read messages. So if you have questions, any questions please, please message me. That's the way to go, just letting you all know. Message!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Oh my gods guess what! My book is on it's way! My hardback copy of my beautiful manuscript is on its way. Has anyone read it? It's on my goodreads account. If you have a goodreads account please follow me!**

**Post Post Script- I'm reading The Clouds by Aristophanes (DO NOT READ IT! It's hilarious but so crass for a Greek playwrite. But it's one of the funniest things I've ever read) and Fire which is the sequel to Graceling.**

**Post Post Post Script- Song that has been stuck in my head- Bonfire hearts by James Blunt and of course Counting Stars. If you have any songs for this story let me know! I have a list of all the recommended ones.**

**Post Post Post Post Script- HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! **


	22. Nothing Will Change

**Hey ya'll look what it is! Chapter Twenty Two…. Yay! Um just letting you all know… there is a significantly long author's note at the end. It would be awesome if you read it but I'm allowing you out of this one as it is long. It just answers some random questions I keep getting.**

**Um… it's a very light and happy chapter just letting you know. Next chapter will be meaty and AWESOME! So strap yourselves in**

**Disclaimer- I'm very bad at these. I don't own it.**

**Chapter Twenty Two Nothing Will Change**

Annabeth and Percy sat snuggled next to each other on the couch watching TV. The album had finally been completed. Annabeth had written the final song with Percy throwing in random ideas as he strummed along on his guitar, trying to come up with a melody for the song: Words. It had been a masterpiece, beautiful and emotionally powerful.

And now they were both drained. After three long days and nights they were both exhausted so they had collapsed onto the couch, two bowls of ice-cream in their hands, Annabeth's was peppermint and Percy's was chocolate.

"Did you know that in some ice-cream they use seaweed," Annabeth said randomly as she put a spoonful into her mouth.

Percy looked at the ice-cream and made a face. "I suddenly have lost all appetite for ice-cream," he joked.

"Oh shut up Seaweed Brain and eat your ice-cream," she said, nudging him.

In the middle of the TV show Annabeth had found for them to watch a new report flashed across the TV. Instead of the perky and annoying anchor woman, a man dressed in a suit with a killer smile was sitting at the desk. It was Hermes Mercury, the owner of the news station.

"Sorry for interrupting your regularly scheduled show but this just in, Percy Jackson's new girl has been discovered to be not a model or an actress but a nobody. Her name is Annabeth Chase, a twenty two year old college student from UCLA who is transferring to NYU at the beginning of the next school year. She currently works at Olympian Scrolls for the famous writer Athena Minerva Penhollow otherwise known as A.M. Penworth, the author of the famous crime and mystery novels, Storm's Warning Series. But who is Annabeth Chase? We put our best team on the job to figure it out."

The screen flashed to a Iris standing in front of an old building with people staring at her as if they had never seen a TV cameraman and reporter. "Hello New York City, Iris Nubes here," she said, smiling and then launched off into her long speech which must have been prepared for her. "I'm standing in front of Janus's Doors, an apartment complex where Miss Annabeth Christine Chase lives. We have yet to run into her and we can only help but wonder if her and Percy Jackson are together right now. We tried to interview Ms. Chase's coworker at Olympian Scrolls but he refused to speak on the matter."

The clip flashed to Malcolm who looked irritated at a camera being shoved in his face. "No I don't know about Annabeth's love life and I don't care what you have to say, it's Annabeth's life so just flip off and leave her alone," Malcolm said as he pointed his finger in the air.

Annabeth's eyes popped open as she watched it and then laughed. "Good old Malcolm," she said.

"I knew I liked him when I met him," Percy agreed. "You know we don't have to watch this."

"Are you kidding? And lose the opportunity to watch an in-depth story on my life? No way, we're watching this," Annabeth said. "This is only a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"You're crazy Wise Girl," Percy laughed.

"Nope, just not famous so hush up so I can listen," she said.

"So when Mr. Grey would not answer our questions we turned to other sources," Iris said. "Turns out Ms. Chase is a recent orphan, her mother presumably died when she was a child and her father recently died a few weeks ago. Mrs. Sue Chase, Annabeth Chase's step-mother also refused to speak on it saying that it was 'family business' so we tried for a different angle and what we found was surprising."

"Annabeth Chase is also known as WiseGirl36 to all of her fans on Writer's Corner, a place where inspiring writers try and publish their works. WiseGirl36 is one of the most popular writers on the website, shattering records with her latest work, The Letter Writer. We can only wonder and wait to see if we'll be seeing her books in stores soon."

"So how did Mr. Jackson and Ms. Chase meet? That is to be determined. If you have any information on the couple please call the number at the bottom of the screen. Until then, we wish the couple the best of luck."

The screen flashed back to the TV show they had been watching.

"Well that was… informative," Annabeth said, leaning against Percy.

"Very," he said. "I'm sorry that you have to get tangled up in this whole mess. I could try and get the newspapers and news stations to stop showing your story but I don't think I can do much more."

Annabeth shrugged. "Whatever, I knew this would happen when I started hanging out with you and I actually knew you were Percy Jackson," she said giving him a pointed look which made him squirm. You're a bad influence Percy Jackson," she laughed. "But I think that you're worth it."

"Glad to know Wise Girl," he said. "Glad to know."

o.O.o

When Nico D'Angelo came back to his apartment that night he was instantly greeted by laughter. "Come on Percy, Finding Nemo is not a classic!" Annabeth said.

"Of course it is Wise Girl! Please, for me?" Nico heard Percy ask.

"I already watched the Little Mermaid with you," Annabeth complained.

"Hey you liked that one!" Percy said. Nico heard Annabeth make a huffing sound.

"Hey guys," Nico said going into the theater room, the room with the large TV screen across one wall and the different array of couches and chairs. Percy and Annabeth were currently sitting next to each other on one couch, legs crossed and a bowl of popcorn between them. An empty cardboard box which Nico could only assume at one point had pizza lay on the ground.

"Hey Nico," Percy said, tossing a kernel of popcorn into his mouth. "Don't worry we finished the album," Percy said. He then gave a smug grin to Annabeth. "And you said it was impossible."

"I didn't say impossible, I just said highly unlikely and very stressful which it was!" Annabeth countered back.

"Did you name it?" Nico asked.

"Yep, the Letters," Percy said. "And we're going to put the Words for the Wise and Thoughts for the Humble for each song that I based it on."

Nico shifted his glance from Percy to Annabeth. Percy had never talked so freely about the letters to anyone, not even himself. "Percy…I thought those letters were too personal."

Percy shrugged. "I found my letter writer, I don't need to rely on them anymore. I've got her," Percy said, nodding towards Annabeth.

Nico's eyes widened. "Wait… you mean… you wrote the letters?"

Annabeth grinned and nodded. "Yeah, funny how small the world is. And don't you dare start singing that song again," she said, poking Percy in the side.

"Who me?" Percy said, trying to sound innocent. He laughed and then poked Annabeth back in the side. Nico shook his head.

"Nico did you know that this girl has lived in New York City for most of her life and has never been to the Empire State building?" Percy said as he nudged Annabeth in the side.

"I've never had the time or the reason!" Annabeth complained.

"Everyone has to go to the Empire State Building, it's like law that's implied with living in New York City. I can't believe you've never been."

"I want to I just don't have the time," Annabeth said.

"Well make time," Percy said back, poking her again. She laughed. Nico smirked at the two of them.

"It was only a matter of time," he said and then headed to the kitchen. Those two were so different and yet so perfect for each other. Nico couldn't help but sigh, at last they might be able to get the happy ending both of them had been waiting for.

"Hey Nico! There are pancakes in the fridge for you if you want them!" Percy yelled.

Nico grinned. And maybe with Annabeth they could get some decent cooking around here.

o.O.o

"You don't have to do this," Annabeth said, standing in one of the four guest rooms in Percy and Nico's apartment, her arms crossed. It was the size of her apartment with a large king sized bed and floor to ceiling windows which looked out over the skyline of New York City.

"You're kidding me right? I'm not letting you go back to your apartment, not with all those crazy reporters outside. Plus Nico's fine with it," Percy said as he lay on the bed, his arms behind his head as his green eyes studied Annabeth. "I already sent some people over to grab the stuff you need, some clothes and your laptop."

Annabeth blushed at the thought of people going through her clothes and looking in her apartment for her things.

"I just don't want to be a burden or something," Annabeth sighed, pushing an unruly curl of hair behind her ear.

"You won't be a burden Wise Girl," he said. "You worry too much." Annabeth scowled at him and he laughed. "Come here," he said, opening his arms up. Annabeth gave in and climbed onto the bed next to him. He folded his arms around her and held her close.

It felt so perfect. Who would have thought that Percy Jackson would fall in love? The man who had everything and yet nothing at the same time.

"So what does this make us?" Annabeth asked.

"It makes us no different than who we were before, don't worry Wise Girl, I promise nothing is going to change between us," Percy said, kissing her brow. "We're just… closer now."

"A whole lot closer," Annabeth snorted.

"But you like it, admit it," Percy said. Annabeth sighed.

"Yeah… I guess I do. It's just so weird. I mean we've only known each other for a few weeks, a month at the most and here we are," she said, motioning with her hand to around the room.

"Hey why do you think this is crazy? I mean some people go on dates with people before they even meet each other, that's crazy," Percy said. "And plus, I've known you for years so technically by those standards we're not strangers."

Annabeth laughed. "Well by technicalities, these things don't happen at all. This is like a story or a fairytale."

Percy kissed Annabeth's forehead. "Well it's about time you got your fairytale."

o.O.o

"You sure you'll be fine?" Percy asked as he pulled up in front of Olympian Scrolls. Annabeth looked at him incredulously.

"Of course I'll be fine, I can handle myself Seaweed Brain. I'm a big girl," she said. "Don't worry." Last night after one final kiss goodnight Percy had left her room and Annabeth had fallen asleep with a smile on her face. She woke up early the next morning to make Nico and Percy breakfast and then had told Percy that she had to leave to get to her work. Of course Percy had ignored her protests when he said he'd drive her so she had given into him and had gone to change into the clothes that Percy had somehow gotten from her apartment.

"I can't help it Wise Girl," Percy said, his brow creasing. "I don't want you to get hurt or something."

"Percy I'm just going to work, it's not like I'm going to the war or something," Annabeth laughed. "And Malcolm will be there and I think Athena will be there as well. Which speaking of Athena she has a lot of explaining to do. She never told me she wrote the Storm's Warning Series! I mean I love those books! How could she not tell me that she had written them? You'd think she'd tell…"

"Annabeth?" Percy said, interupting her.

"Yeah Percy?" She asked.

"You're rambling."

"Sorry," Annabeth said, blushing.

"No don't be, I find it actually cute but you better get going inside before you're late to work."

"Good point, I'll see you at five?" She asked.

"Of course," Percy said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "Have fun," he said.

"You too, make sure the people love our album," she said, grinning. After he dropped her off, Percy was on his way to Olympian Records to show Mr. D his album: The Letters. Percy liked the way she said that it was their album. He smiled.

"I will," he said and then unlocked the doors. "I'll see you Wise Girl."

"See you too Seaweed Brain." And then she opened the door and stepped out of the car, grabbing her bag after. She smiled at Percy and then waved before slamming the door close. She then hurried inside the building. When Percy was sure that she got in alright he pulled away and drove off.

Inside the bell above the door rang as Annabeth opened the door. Malcolm was leaning against the front counter helping an elderly lady. When he saw Annabeth he grinned and waved at her and then went back to helping his customer.

Annabeth headed into the back room to take off her coat. "Ms. Chase may I speak to you for a moment in my office?" Annabeth turned around to see Athena leaning on the doorframe, watching her with intense grey eyes.

"Alright," Annabeth said and followed Athena into her office which was just off of the back room. Athena took a seat behind her desk and then motioned for Annabeth to sit across from her.

"Ms. Chase, I have to ask you about your relationship with Mr. Jackson," Athena said, lacing her fingers together and contemplating Annabeth. Annabeth forced herself not to squirm under Athena's gaze. "Will this be taking up a lot of your work time?" She asked. Annabeth's eyes popped open. She thought Athena would tell her that she would not tolerate having her work at her store with all the pesky reporters. "Because I could care less about the reporters but being on time to work is another thing. Being late for work in unacceptable."

Annabeth had to recompose herself. "Don't worry Athena, I'll be on time every day. My relationship with Percy won't change a thing," she said confidently.

Athena nodded. "That's all then Ms. Chase, I'll make sure to handle that annoying rabble of press that shows up every other hour. You may go."

Annabeth stood up and headed to the door. "Wait one last thing Ms. Chase," Annabeth turned on her heals to look at Athena. "Make sure he treats you right, I would hate to see you get your heart broken." Annabeth looked at Athena surprised. What she had said almost sounded… motherly, as if she really cared about her.

"Don't worry Athena, I'll be fine," Annabeth said and then headed out the door.

"Hey Annie," Malcolm said. Annabeth made a face. Ever since Thalia had come in and called her Annie, Malcolm had taken to calling her Annie as well.

"Hey Mal," Annabeth said as she came behind the counter and reached around him for the binder which held their instructions for the day. "Nice finger," she said, talking about the middle finger Malcolm had so sincerely pointed at the reporters on the TV.

"Thanks, I thought it was a beautiful touch," Malcolm said smugly. "So Percy Jackson huh? I knew he was familiar when he came in here. But I thought you guys said you were just friends, whatever happened to old Luke boy?" He asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "I dumped him."

"Good for you Annie, I was waiting for it," Malcolm said, raising his hand for a high five.

"What is with Luke? What was so bad about him? First Percy now you," Annabeth said, shaking her head. "It wasn't like he did anything bad to me."

"Yet…" Malcolm pointed out. "Trust me Annie, I can smell douchebag miles away and Luke reeked of it."

"Thanks Malcolm," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"But Percy… now Percy didn't reek like Luke did," Malcolm grinned.

"Oh shut up," Annabeth said, hitting him on the shoulder with the binder.

"Tell me, how did you manage to snag Percy Jackson? It's not like you two walk in the same circles or something. How did you even manage to get him?"

"What's it to you?" Annabeth asked, looking through the binder.

"I want to learn your secrets so I can try it on Jennifer Lawrence," Malcolm said waggling his eyebrows.

"I'm sure Lacey would just be thrilled to hear that you said that," Annabeth said dryly.

"Oh come on Annie, how did you manage to even meet _the_ Percy Jackson?" Malcolm asked.

"I wrote a story," Annabeth said. "So I don't think it'll work with you and Jennifer Malcolm, you may be a wonderful gamer and mathlete but you're a gods awful writer."

"One can learn," Malcolm replied.

"No you can't learn to write, you have to feel it Malcolm, you have to want the words to speak to you and you have to love the words."

Malcolm shook his head. "Annabeth sometimes I really don't understand you at all."

"That makes two of us," she muttered. "I'm going to go try to find the books for this order," she said, holding up the sheet of paper which had been tucked into the front folder of the binder.

"You do that but I still want to hear all of the details between you and Mr. Jackson," Malcolm said.

"The only details you'll get are the ones you'll find in your imagination," Annabeth said, tossing her curls over her shoulder.

"I have a pretty imaginative imagination," Malcolm mused. Annabeth snorted and then disappeared into the random stacks of books and bookshelves.

"Damn it, how hard is it to find the Prince by Machiavelli?" Annabeth asked as she ran her fingers over the spines of the books in the back of Olympian Scrolls in the classics section. She felt a hand clasp her shoulder and she winced at the pressure that was forced on it.

"Percy Jackson? That's who you dump me for?" Annabeth flinched at Luke's harsh words. She turned around to see Luke's blue eyes resembling a hurricane as he looked at her with a gaze which could break down even the strongest person.

"Luke you're hurting me," Annabeth said, trying to force her voice to be calm under his intense gaze. "Will you let go of my shoulder?" She asked.

"Not until you tell me why you dumped me for Percy Jackson," Luke spat.

"I did not dump you because of Percy," Annabeth said calmly. "I just didn't think you and I were going to work out. It's not like we're in highschool anymore."

"We would have worked out just fine!" Luke said angrily. "I always knew ever since elementary school that you and I would work out!"

"Well obviously you were wrong," Annabeth said, folding her arms. "Because you had your chance and you wasted it. I gave you another one but really Luke, I don't think it's going to work out. I'm just saving both of us the heart ache."

"What about my heartache right now?" Luke asked, squeezing her shoulder tighter.

"You'll get over it, you always do. Don't you remember what you told me back when we were kids and you used to dump girls left and right and through the window? 'Oh Annabeth it's okay, I never really loved them, it's just another girl.' I'm just another girl Luke so get over me just like you got over everyone else." She wrenched herself out from under his grip and turned around.

"Don't turn your back to me!" Luke said.

"I can do whatever I want!" Annabeth said as she whirled around angrily. "Don't tell me what to do Luke Castellan!" She hissed. "It might have worked when I was seven but it's not going to work now. I've grown up and I suggest you do as well."

Luke leaned against the book shelf, studying her. "I'm surprised that it's you and Percy Jackson, I thought you were better than that."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, trying to hold back the venom in her voice.

Luke laughed coldly. "Don't you remember Annie, Percy Jackson, back in highschool he was the biggest player there was. What's to say that he won't do the same thing now, play your heart and leave you in the dust."

Annabeth felt her blood boiling. "Last time I checked you didn't have the cleanest track record either Luke."

"But at least I didn't call you a freak like he did," Luke said. Annabeth felt like a knife was being stabbed into her heart.

How could she forget?

Yeah, Percy Jackson was the boy who had continually called her a freak every day of her junior high career and well into her high school as well. He was the boy who knocked her books out of her hands and told her she was ugly when he stood around with his ground of friends all dressed in black leather and smoking behind the building.

How could she have forgotten?

"See Annabeth, I would never do that to you," Luke said softly as he tried to wrap his arms around her. "I would never call you a freak. He's not worth you."

Annabeth pushed him away angrily. "He's changed, I know he has. Unlike you, you self-loving… _pig!_" She said. "He might have been an idiot in highschool but so were you and right now, he's not an idiot but you still are. So if I were you, I'd realize where I've been beaten and leave me alone!" She moved to push past him but Luke grabbed her wrist.

"You do not walk away from me," Luke said.

"Watch me," Annabeth challenged. They stood there, Luke's hand squeezing her wrist tightly. It was probably going to bruise, Annabeth realized. "Let go of me Luke," she said, her voice dangerously quiet.

"No."

"Excuse me young man, I'm going to have to ask you to unhand my employee and leave my store." Annabeth felt herself calming down as saw Athena stand in the aisle, looking at Luke with her cool and steady gaze. Malcolm was standing behind her, grinning.

Luke dropped his grip from Annabeth's wrist.

No one was able to stand up to Athena's glare.

"I'll see you later Annabeth, I'm not done yet," he said and then stalked out of the store.

"And don't come back!" Malcolm called after him when Luke slammed the door behind him. Annabeth glared at him and Malcolm gave her a look of innocence. "See I told you, douchebag."

"Are you alright Ms. Chase?" Athena asked. Annabeth nodded. "Good, I would hate to have one of my employees injured while working. It's a terrible mess to clean up with the Department," she said and then brushed her hands together and disappeared.

"Wow, sounded like she actually cares," Malcolm said as Annabeth rubbed her wrist on the irritated skin from where Luke had grabbed her.

"Yeah… she sounded the same way in the office," Annabeth said contemplating Athena's words.

"You should probably get some ice on that," Malcolm said, nodding towards her wrist which was beginning to swell.

"Yeah… I probably should."

o.O.o

"Guess who," A voice whispered in Annabeth's ear as two hands clamped down over her eyes.

"Percy," Annabeth complained, as she pulled his hands off.

"Ah you're no fun," Percy whined as he moved to hold Annabeth's hand.

"Percy, I'm working," Annabeth sighed.

"No you're not, your shift ended three minutes ago, therefore you can leave. Come on I've got somewhere I want to take you," Percy said.

"Okay, okay let me grab my coat," Annabeth said and then disappeared into the back room. Percy stood in front of the counter, looking at a book.

"So you're Percy Jackson, the boy who's dating my employee." Percy whirled around to see a tall woman with startling grey eyes staring at him.

"Uh… uh yes ma'am," Percy said. He had never seen a woman so terrifying and… powerful when she looked at him.

Athena studied Percy with her intense eyes. "You better not mess up with this or else I swear I will flay you alive," Athena said, sticking her nose into the air. Percy's eyes popped open. Since when did someone's employer care that much about their employee?

"Athena, I'm leaving, is that alright?" Annabeth asked as she reappeared with her coat on. Athena was still studying Percy but nodded. "Great, come on Percy," she said, grabbing Percy's arm and dragging him towards the door.

"It was nice meeting you Ms. Penhollow," Percy called as they left the building. "Gods she gives me the creeps," Percy said as they headed to his car.

"Oh she's not that bad," Annabeth said. "She just takes some getting used to."

"Whatever you say," Percy said as they hopped into his car.

"So where are we going?" Annabeth asked.

"It's a surprise," Percy said, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he gripped the steering wheel and backed out of the parking spot. "I have some good news though," Percy said.

"Oh and what is that?"

"Mr. D and the board loved our CD. It'll be out in stores in a few months but they're preparing a tour for it," Percy said as he looked over his shoulder as he spun the wheel to get out of the tightly jammed New York traffic. "They especially loved the Words for the Wise for each song."

"Percy that's awesome!" Annabeth said excitedly.

"I know, they're favorites were Words, Falling Slowly, and Kiss me," he said as he managed to weave in and out of traffic. "But the Writer had a few of the softer women in tears."

Annabeth was beaming. "I'm so proud of you."

"Of us," Percy corrected. "I couldn't have done it without you." He swerved into a parking space. Annabeth looked around confused. They were parked in the middle of a shopping section, very common and nothing special.

"Percy why are we here?" She asked as they hopped out.

"Because it's a surprise. I'm going to blindfold you okay?" He said. Annabeth looked at him skeptically.

"Honestly Percy, that's so cliché," she said.

"I know… I know… I'm just an old fashioned kind of guy," Percy said with his award winning smile as he tied the blindfold behind her ears. "Just hold my hand and we'll go." Annabeth slipped her hand into Percy's. She smiled at the feeling.

"You know we must look like idiots to everyone else," she said.

"Eh, most people in New York look like idiots," Percy laughed. "I can only wonder what the press will say about us."

"I can already see tomorrow's headlines: **Superstar kidnaps Girlfriend and walks through busy New York Streets**," Annabeth said causing Percy to laugh.

"Or even better: **Superstar, Percy Jackson's New Girlfriend is BLIND!**"

"Oh yes, because me wearing a bandana around my eyes constitutes me for being blind," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"Hey, half the time I wonder myself how the heck they get some of those headlines, like the one about that celebrity giving birth to a whale, that one was weird."

"What?!" Annabeth said.

"Didn't you read that? Oh that was a good one," Percy laughed. "But we're here so just a bit longer," Percy promised. Annabeth heard a door open and she was confused as she heard a bunch of people talking around her.

"Hello Tom, can I have the key?" Percy asked a man.

"Here you go Mr. Jackson, have fun and just return it when you're done. No one else will be up there while you are," a man, Tom, Annabeth presumed, responded.

Percy led Annabeth to what she assumed was an elevator by the dinging noise it made. They stepped in and she heard Percy swipe a card and the elevator began to rise. "This is terrible elevator music," Annabeth said.

"I know, I think about that every single time I come here, they need to get new elevator music, it drives me nuts!" Percy agreed.

"So where are we?" Annabeth asked.

"You'll see in a few minutes," Percy said and she could hear the grin in his voice. The elevator door opened and a few minutes later Annabeth felt cold wind blast against her face. "Okay, don't scream. The view makes most people scream at first," Percy whispered in her ear as he moved to take off her blindfold.

Annabeth opened her eyes and she gasped.

"Oh Percy! It's beautiful!" She said as she looked out at the New York Skyline.

"I told you that you had to come here at least once," Percy said smirking.

**Long Author's Note: You can read it if you want… I think it's kinda funny.**

**Okay so who knows where they're at? I think that the elevator music was a good hint and it was mentioned in the beginning of the chapter. This chapter is made to be a sort of cute Percabeth chapter and then I also threw in some more Luke just to let you all know that he's still out there. Oh and then there's Athena, what do you think? I love how she's trying to be motherly but it's hard for her because she's not used to it…. then again she might not be Annabeth's mother… or is she?**

**So I'm super siked for the next chapter. It's a really heartfelt one between Percy and Annabeth on top of the… well I can't say. You'll have to wait and see. I might post it tomorrow because I don't have any school but if not then later in the week because my parents are going up to Hayden for a few days (which is where I live half the year) and I'll be here with my brother and sister. Freedom! YES! **

**Okay I lied again… my instagram has been shut off because my parents shut off the internet connection for every device in our house except for two computers. Including my mom's ipod which I was using. So sorry. But you can still follow me! I just will probably have to use a friend's iphone. **

**Um… so message me! I love getting messages from people! I got so many last time! Message me and review me! My goal is to get to a thousand reviews before the month is over. Um is that crazy or what? But you can help me do it! I just want to show my parents that they really were wrong about doubting me.**

**Oh a few questions to answer:**

**One: Yes the W4W's and T4H are all mine with the exception of a few which were suggested by some people and I just fixed them up. I come up with them by hearing song lyrics or quotes or just writing about what I feel like.**

**Two: I read reviews but I would rather be messaged to because they're soooo much easier to respond to than reviews. BUT I STILL LOVE REVIEWS SO KEEP WRITING THEM! Just if you have a question you really want answered message me and I will personally respond to you.**

**Three: My inspiration for this story- well if you read my profile I explain why I wrote it. Also yes I have Celiac Disease and no it does not mean I'm going to die for the one person who messaged me asking if I was on my deathbed. It's kinda funny because I've gotten quite a few messages about Celiac. It's totally okay, I'm up for answering any questions.**

**Four: Sibling names: Yes this has been asked. My siblings names are Christopher, Andrew, me, Elizabeth, Jaclynne, Ava, Lydia, Creighton, and Lucile (I name Lucy by the way!) My sister that's my biggest supporter is Jaclynne and my two older brothers are pretty awesome too.**

**Five: No Luna is not my real name. And no it's not because of Luna Lovegood even though I adore Harry Potter. It's because I'm a Latin Freak.**

**Six: Favorite musical artist right now: Um Birdy or OneRepublic. And as always Parachute.**

**Seven: Do I have a boyfriend- (I find it funny that this has been asked by many, many people and I'm wondering why so if you have an answer let me know) No I do not have a boyfriend, yes I am single, no I've never had a boyfriend, no I'm not crazy like people in my class think. And I'm not a troll.**

**Eight- Why are my parents so crazy- Um I have no answer to this one. I'm still trying to figure it out myself.**

**Nine- Is this my first fanfiction- Yes! It is! I've never written fanfiction before. Okay so maybe I have some on my laptop I've written but I never have posted fanfiction before. I swear! And I have never had any training for creative writing. All this is just me. **

**Ten- Why am I so cruel with my cliffhangers- Um because at least it's not a real book. You'll get the answer to the cliffhanger in a few days and plus unlike what Percy thinks, Patience is a virtue.**

**Eleven- Favorite Disney Movie (this one was random but I had to answer it)- Either Beauty and the Beast because it's one of my favorite fairytales and I love the fairytale of Cupid and Psyche and plus I'm really similar to Belle or Frozen because it's my other favorite fairytale even though it's a more… kid friendly version. **

**Twelve- What is my future for writing- Um well right now there's Heart by Heart and I'm working on another Fanfic called a Thousand Years. I'm also writing a novel called Spellbound which is about fairytale creatures in the real world and I also am working on a book which is currently untitled. Yeah… so a lot. Right now most everything is on hold for Heart by Heart. Don't you all just love me?**

**Okay so there's my quick Q&A... Except it really wasn't quick. If you have any other questions that are random or silly or have nothing to do with the story. Let me know! I love answering them!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- I'm currently reading Cress by Marissa Meyer. I've been waiting for this book for forever and I had no idea it was actually out in stores until I went to Target yesterday and saw it! yes! **


	23. Author's Note PLEASE READ!

**Author's Note **

**February 18 2014 ad Tuesday**

**Okay.**

**I never thought I'd have to make a chapter dedicated just for an Author's Note, it always seemed like such a waste of perfectly good internet space. I swore I wouldn't do it.**

**But most vows are meant to be broken.**

**So here we go. My author's note:**

**Why am I writing this? Why am I taking up a whole chapter which could be used to write about Percy and Annabeth which I know you all would much rather read, to talk about my sorry, pathetic excuse of a life?**

**Because maybe I actually have people on here that hear me. Maybe people actually care on here. Maybe people actually want me to keep writing. So call me selfish. Selfish for wanting people to hear. Selfish for wanting someone to care. I don't care. Maybe it's one of my fatal flaws, being selfish, along with hubris. **

**Okay I guess I'm rambling. If you've messaged me before you'd know that I get off topic a lot and I like to ramble on and on. I think that sometimes it makes life far more interesting. **

**So all of that for the reason of this note:**

**Some of you might have noticed that I haven't responded to anyone's messages at all or even emails (sorry 'bout that!) but there's a very good, and legitimate reason for that. No I have not abandoned you all. I have a great reason… okay so it's not great, it's actually going to make this really, really hard. **

**Anyone want to take a stab at my big problem in life?**

**…**

**…**

**…**

**If you guessed my parents! You're right! Congratulations… I don't have a prize for you.**

**Yes, yes, it's ****that**** topic again. Yippee! Don't you all love hearing the story of my parents and their escapades and their altogether ruining my life? And no I'm not exaggerating at all. My life is literally ending.**

**Sunday, right after I published that last chapter (which I'm so glad you all loved!) my parents came home. Dun, dun, dun. And cue the dramatic theme music! Long story short… they found out. They saw some emails on my email which led them then to completely freak out and go on a wild goose chase trying to look people up on the internet (What I find funny is they called the people who emailed me stalkers and yet they're stalking them by looking them up). Don't worry I stuck up for you all and said you were all incredibly nice and lovely people. So you better live up to my stories about you all. J Which I'm sure you will. They think that you're all creepers and stalkers who are trying to find out about me so that you can kill me. Honestly parents? What the heck? I mean I understand that a few of you are probably creepy stalkers (yes I have gotten the creepy emails) but I know that not all of you are. Some of you are just obsessed fangirls like me. I mean honestly… they do not understand the definition of a fangirl and fanboy for all of those out there.**

**Anyway… let's just say there was a fight in my house that put WWII to shame. It was messy and there were casualties… all on my side. In other words… I'm grounded but more on that later. Apparently I have been sneaky, deceitful, disrespectful, and rude by publishing Heart by Heart. Don't ask me how because I have no idea. **

**I took the opportunity to share with my parents what's been on my mind for the past few… well years. Because they ****_said _****I could share anything with them. Hahahaha. My oh so "loving" parents (note the sarcasm with the word loving, hence the quotations. As I've told a few of you a sarcasm button would be amazing!) everything that you all told me to share with them and tell them. I flat out told them I didn't want to play basketball, I wanted to write. That I believe I am being called to write in life and that I feel like I'm not loved at all in my family and that I feel like everything I do isn't good enough and that everything I do that's bad is really, really bad in their eyes (even if it's only posting a story). Let's just say that did not go over well at all. I have made no progress.**

**Anyway… point of this note is I will be having a very hard time updating. I am grounded, my phone's gone, my email has been denied access at my house, there is no internet. Because my parents think that technology is of the devil.**

**YAY!**

**But not all hope is lost! My school has about 20 computers all with internet access! And I'm sorry but my parents can't tell them to disband the internet at school! Yes! For once I'm actually happy for school! **

**So… what this means is that I will work hard to update but it won't be as often as I would like. Please don't shoot me! It's not my fault. I'm putting my neck on the line for you all. But I have decided this is far, far too important to me to stop. **

**Nothing will stop me.**

**Well maybe death….**

**But let's not talk about that. **

**Want to know something funny. This was meant to be Chapter 23 and if you remember Annabeth's story was going to end on chapter 23 with Hannah dying. So um yeah, chapter 23 is not a very happy chapter. **

**But I would love for you guys to message me! I will respond to every single one it just might take me a while. Please let me know that I'm not just imagining things and that you all care! Because surely some of you do… I mean if you're reading this you must care somewhat…. Right? Oh and plus my parents are heading up north for a few days so that means… INTERNET! Without parents hounding me! YES! Score! **

**Okay… yep I was pretty excited. J **

**So message me. Don't worry I'm working on Percy and Annabeth's next chapter. Squeal! And if you want more details about my parents and their absolute craziness let me know because it's nice for me to fume to someone other than my mentor/ Latin teacher. You guys I love this because I can fume on here and NO ONE JUDGES! Or if you do it's kept quiet in your mind which is very, very nice. J So um… yeah. **

**That's the sich. (Like the situation you know? Or is that just not even a word or something used these days? I found out yesterday that apparently no one uses the word Brill… you know short for brilliant?) Okay well message me! Please! Love you all!**

**~Luna-Incendia14 a girl who is in need of some love and support because her parents are slowly destroying her soul, spirit, and will to live.**

**Post Script- Book I'm reading- This Star Won't Go Out. It's about Esther Grace Earl who for those of you who don't know, was the girl John Green dedicated The Fault in Our Stars to. She had thyroid cancer and died in 2010 from it at 16. It's a beautiful story. It's her journal articles, web chats, and letters. She's brilliant and beautiful and I'm crying so much. I recommend reading it. It's beautiful. Or at least look up Esther Earl. She's one amazing girl.**


	24. Bloom

**OH MY GODS! So I wrote this chapter and was just about to post it when guess what happened! That's right! My whole chapter was deleted… um and I have no idea what to write… well this is frickin annoying… I'm super stressed and I'm writing this at midnight here. Like it's literally midnight. We're in for a long night of fanfiction, A Very Potter Musical and Mock Trial. (NEVER do Mock Trial). Well here we go again… UHG! DAMN IT!  
(Okay that was written last night at midnight… yep. It was miserable but here's the chapter… you can tell I was tired.)**

**Disclaimer- I'm sick of these things. I don't own.**

**Chapter Twenty Three Bloom**

Standing above the city of New York, her gaze looking at the skyline, it was the most incredible, sensational feeling that Annabeth had ever felt in her life.

Standing above everyone, it the same realm as the clouds, it made her feel… important. It made her mind clear. Standing above everyone else made the big things seem so small. Looking at all the different buildings made her own problems seem so small as she realized that there were so many other people in the world who were suffering just as much as her or even more.

Standing above everyone else made her feel powerful.

Some people were terrified of standing on a ledge, gripping a railing which was your only protection from falling to your death, but to Annabeth it brought an exhilarating feeling coursing through her veins. It made her feel wild and free.

And freedom was a feeling that she never wanted to give up.

Freedom was way too precious to ever let go of.

Freedom was hers.

"Percy, this is amazing," Annabeth said as she looked out at the city of New York, at the blinking lights as she faintly heard the sounds below.

"I told you that everyone has to see the Empire State Building at once and you have to stand on top of it," Percy said as he leaned against the railing next to her, the wind brushing his raven black hair from off of his forehead. "When I stand up here, it reminds me just where I've come from. I don't know, I like it up here."

"Thalia would hate it," Annabeth laughed.

"Pincecone face still have a big fear of heights?" Percy asked.

"Her fear isn't one you can ever get over, she still can't even go on the Ferris wheel at Coney Island when we go," Annabeth said. "She gets all the way to the front of the line and then she just stops and her eyes go wide and she nearly passes out."

"What about you Wise Girl, do you like heights?" He asked.

"I love the feeling it gives you, the rush and the excitement. And for some reason I love the control. You have a chance to jump and fall to your death and as morbid as that sounds… I like having the choice. I like being able to chose in life."

"I like being able to chose as well," Percy said solemnly.

"That's why I like writing, you get to chose who dies, who lives, who gets their happily ever after, who doesn't, I'm in charge and I get to decide," Annabeth said. "I think that's what got me started writing when I was little, I got to make the life I had never had before."

"Annabeth, it amazes me how everything you say sounds so incredibly profound," Percy said, shaking his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you've memorized something to say for everything someone else says that makes you sound so brilliant."

"Percy that's so ridiculous," Annabeth laughed and then she tossed her curls over her shoulders saucily. "I'm just naturally this brilliant."

"Well if you're going to be that prideful then I won't be sharing my sandwiches with you," Percy said, folding his arms but his eyes were twinkling as he kicked the picnic basket that was at his feet.

"What type of sandwiches?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"Oh the usual, peanut butter and jelly, turkey and swiss… oh and I remember reading somewhere that you love avocado and honey mustard," Percy said. Annabeth blushed. She mentioned almost every other chapter in The Letter Writer that she was craving such a sandwich.

Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

"Well I guess I can try and not be prideful… only for a few minutes to eat a sandwich," Annabeth admitted.

"Perfect," Percy said, grinning as he spread out a red and white checkered blanket on the cement of the floor of the Empire State Building's Observatory deck (**AN: Don't know it that's a real thing…)** The two of them sat down and Percy pulled out a bag of chips, a plate full of sandwiches, a bowl of fruit and two cupcakes with blue frosting on top.

"Maria made them for us," Percy said. When he saw Annabeth's confused face he responded. "Maria's our house keeper."

"Ah," Annabeth said. "So that's how your apartment doesn't look like a bachelor bad all the time."

"You should see it on her week off, it looks like WWIII went through there. Nico and I aren't the cleanest people in the world. As long as we can find it then we're fine," Percy shrugged. "It's not like we have a bunch of people over all the time and the people who do come over are close friends who could care less about our mess."

"My place is always a mess but only because of my books but it's still really clean… just messy at the same time... I'd like to call it organized chaos," Annabeth said.

"Wise Girl that doesn't make sense at all," Percy said shaking his head as he handed Annabeth a sandwich. She unpeeled the plastic wrap around it and took a bite, smiling as the honey muster oozed out of the sandwich.

"Exactly," Annabeth said, grinning at him.

"You make no sense," he said.

"So I've been told. I've also been told I'm crazy but hey," she said shrugging. "All the best people in the world are. They're absolutely bonkers."

"So then that makes me one of the best people in the world," Percy said.

"Of course it does Seaweed Brain," Annabeth smiled. "One of the best."

"Thanks," Percy said.

"I can't believe that we're actually having a picnic on top of the Empire State Building," Annabeth laughed, looking around. There was no one else with them and it felt… nice. "How the heck did you even manage this?"

"When you have money you can do pretty much anything," Percy said, leaning against the stone railing to protect any idiot from falling off of the building to his death. The stone felt cold against his skin. He closed his eyes and felt the wind whisper against his face. He half smiled. "You know about a year ago Nico, my friends Leo and Jason and I were in Paris and we were betting who could run the flights of the Eifel Tower fastest.

We ended up paying enough money to close the Eifel Tour for an hour and we saw who could run the stairs fastest. (**Don't think this is even virtually possible by the way but what the heck!)**"

"Who won?" Annabeth asked.

"Who do you think?" Percy asked with a cocky grin. "It only burnt a little hole in my spending money. I had to lay off of the chocolates I really liked from Belgium for a while."

"You poor boy," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"I know, it was hard," he said with a heavy sigh. "What about you? What was the most fun thing you've ever done in your life?"

"Well… when I was six I won a middle school spelling bee," Annabeth said, tapping her jaw. "That was a lot of fun. And of course when I published The Letter Writer it was amazing."

Percy scoffed. "Those are your favorite memories Wise Girl? A spelling Bee and your book. Wow you need to have more fun in life."

"I've never had time," Annabeth shrugged. "Never needed to, I was too focused on school so that I could get into college."

"Well you're lucky that you're hanging out with the king of fun," Percy said.

"Oh the king of fun are you?" Annabeth asked. "And how did you get that title?"

"I self proclaimed myself of course, it's more fun that way," Percy said. Annabeth snorted.

"Of course it is," she said rolling her eyes. She pulled her coat off and set it down next to her and then reached for a chip and popped it into her mouth.

"Annabeth," Percy said, sounding more serious all of a sudden.

"Yeah Percy?" She asked.

"What's on your arm?" He asked.

"Huh?" She looked down and saw that her wrist was completely swollen from where Luke had grabbed her. She quickly covered her wrist with her hand. "It's nothing," she said quickly.

"Annabeth what is that?" Percy asked, keeping each of his words quiet and solemn as his eyes seemed to turn into green storms on the sea.

"Percy it's nothing, I just hurt myself, I'm a klutz sometimes okay?" Annabeth said, she wasn't in the mood to tell Percy about Luke and what had happened. She looked down at her wrist, looking at the bruises before looking back at Percy.

"Annabeth what the hell is that," Percy asked. "What is it? Whoever did that to you deserves to be punched in the nose for that. And punched in the nose so hard that it will never look the same again."

Annabeth sighed. "It was Luke. He came into the shop today and completely caught me off guard. He yelled a bit and grabbed my wrist. He didn't like the fact that I dumped him for you. Don't worry, Athena came and kicked him out of the store."

"That bastard," Percy muttered. "Gods I knew it! I remembered him from high school, he was always the idiot. I'm going to kill him," he growled.

"Percy don't," Annabeth said. "I can handle Luke, I've been doing it since I was little. I'm not worried about him. He just gets really cocky and arrogant and is pissed that I dumped him. No one ever dumps him. I was the first."

Percy shook his head. "Still I knew he was a douchebag ever since I saw him at Taki's."

"You sound like Malcolm, he said almost the exact same thing," Annabeth laughed. "Said that he could smell douchebag."

"I need to get to know this Malcolm better," Percy said. "He sounds like my type of guy."

"I'm sure that he would love to get to know you," Annabeth grinned and then she pulled her knees up to under her chin and suddenly contemplating something. "Percy… what's your family like? I know you're the son of Poseidon but who's your mom? I don't think that I've ever heard about her on the news."

Percy titled his head upwards towards the stars. "You probably wouldn't have, I make it a goal of mine not to let the press know about my personal family at all. I don't give a shit about my dad but my mom… well she's something else."

"Her name is Sally Jackson and she's married to Paul Bolfis. He was my English teacher in high school. They live in upper New York with my little brother Tyson."

"You have a little brother?" Annabeth asked. "How old is he?"

"Well I guess that he's not exactly a little brother, he's younger than me but he's probably almost twice my size. His name's Tyson and he's a few years younger than me. He was in a car accident and lost an eye."

"Oh Percy I'm sorry," Annabeth said.

Percy shrugged. "It's hard at times but… he's fine now which is really all that matters. Nico and I go over to their home for almost every single holiday and sometimes our friends will come too. Everyone loves my mom.

I think you'd get along really well with her as well. She's been through a lot just like you. Her parents died when she was little in a freak plane crash. Apparently one little bolt hadn't been tightened strong enough and the whole plane fell apart. Can you believe that, one thing isn't in place and everything else falls apart," Percy said shaking his head.

"So she moved in with her uncle and then dropped out of college to help support him when he had cancer. He ended up dying leaving her alone again. She says that the best thing that ever happened to her is me and my dad. She loved my dad a lot. And well… I wish I could see him how my mom sees him but to be honest I hadn't seen my dad in around two years.

But my mom has moved on, she loves Paul now. I'm happy because when I was little she was in a relationship with an abusive man who beat her and yelled at her. I called him Smelly Gave," Percy said, wrinkling his nose. "I don't know how she managed to do it but she never yelled at either of us and I'm almost positive she wanted to pull her hair out at us." He laughed somewhat bitterly.

"If anyone deserves to have a happily ever after, it's her," Percy said. "She's the best mother any boy could ever have."

"Wish I had a mom like that," Annabeth said. "Mine ran away when I was born, she and my dad had been college sweethearts, she was working in ancient literature, he was in history. They well… one night they did it and here I am," Annabeth said motioning to herself. "The only thing I've had close enough to a mother is Sue… and I'm not sure that she really counts as a mother. If there's anyone who meets the definition of a step mother it's her."

"When I was little she beat me continuously when she came home," Annabeth said, absentmindedly rubbing her arms where the bruises usually were when she was little. "She was always drunk or stressed or something," Annabeth said. "When I was younger I used to pretend I was Cinderella. But then when I grew up I realized that there was no fairy godmother there to swish her wand and make everything better. There was no Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet."

"If I wanted to have anything happen, I'd have to make it myself."

Percy studied her face and saw her set jaw as she talked about her past. "You probably could tell from my letters. I never told anyone, not even Thalia about the bruises and those awful nights until now." She brushed a strand of blond hair from her eyes. "I decided that no one could write my story except myself."

"I decided that if I was going to start living for myself. I once wrote a words for the wise for myself, I don't think it was ever in one of the letters. It was more something for myself. It went something like this:

_W4W: Be happy. And if you can't be happy then do what makes you happy. And if you can't do what makes you happy, then do things you don't like but do it with people that make you happy. Because there are good things in life, there are sunrises, every day there's something new for you to live for. Every day there's something new to dream for. You can't give up. Do what makes you smile and laugh."_

"When I was little I didn't smile a lot…"

"Wise Girl, you still don't smile a lot," Percy interrupted.

"Oh shut up Seaweed Brain, this is a very important and deep moment and you're ruining it," Annabeth said, leaning over and pushing him on the shoulder. "But that Words for the Wise encouraged me to keep smiling and hopefully… one day my world would actually have something nice in life to live for. I used to pray that every night and write it in my journal."

"Well your dreams came true," Percy grinned.

"Did they?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course they did, you have me now," Percy said cockily.

"You are so arrogant Seaweed Brain," Annabeth laughed.

"No just very truthful," he said, grinning at her madly.

"Okay you've officially ruined the somber mood, good going Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said.

"Great, then that means I can finally do what I've been wanting to do this whole entire time," Percy said.

"Oh and what is that?" Annabeth asked, sitting up on her knees.

"Play a song for you of course, what else am I good at?" Percy asked as he suddenly pulled out a guitar case from behind him.

"Where did that come from?" Annabeth asked. "You're like Mary Poppins."

"Mary Puffins? Who names their kid that?"

"Poppins Percy, honestly I think you need to get your hearing checked. And you've never seen Mary Poppins? Gods have you been living in a cave for your whole life. Next time we get together I'm choosing the movie and I'll have to educate you."

"Okay that's nice, no can I finally play my song?" Percy asked impatiently.

"Yes, you can play your song Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said as she folded her hands in her lap patiently.

"Great," he said, clearing his throat and strumming a chord on Riptide. He began humming to himself as if trying to figure out where to begin and then began to play:

_In the morning when I wake_

_And the sun is coming through_

_Oh you fill my lungs with sweetness_

_And you fill my head with you_

_Shall I write it in a letter?  
Shall I try to get it down._

_Oh you fill my head with pieces _

_Of a song I can't get out_

_Can I be close to you?  
Ooh-oo-oo-ooh, ooh_

_Can I be close to you?_

_Ooh, ooh_

_Can I take it to a morning _

_Where the fields are painted gold_

_And the trees are filled with memories_

_Of the feelings never told?_

_When the evening pulls the sun down,_

_And the day is almost through_

_Oh the world it is sleeping_

_But my world is you._

_Can I be close to you?  
Ooh-oo-oo-ooh, ooh_

_Can I be close to you?_

_Ooh, ooh_

"I wrote that last night. I couldn't sleep at all, I don't know why but when I'm around you I can write. I write and I'm inspired by you. I can't stop thinking about you every time I'm not with you as sappy and stupid as that sounds. You have become my muse Annabeth Chase… wait what's your middle name?" Percy asked.

"It's Christine," Annabeth said, "Annabeth Christine."

"Annabeth Christine Chase," Percy said, testing her name out as it rolled off of his tongue. "I like that. Annabeth Christine Chase, you have become my muse and I think that you are the most amazing girl I've ever met and trust me I have met thousands."

Annabeth blushed and looked down at her hands. "I feel the same way about you Percy… quick what's your middle name?" She asked. Percy laughed.

"It's Erik," he said. "After my grandpa, not the Disney Prince which I have been so commonly compared to looking like."

"Perseus Erik Jackson, you are my light, I don't know what I would have done without you. And I'm sorry about my sappiness level as well… I've never been good at romantic words. I've never really had anything romantic in my life," Annabeth confessed.

"Well that's going to change Annabeth Christine," Percy said. "Because we're going to start writing our story right now."

"I like the sound of that, our story," Annabeth smiled.

"I made sure to come up with a writing analogy just for you," Percy said, his goofy grin plastered on his face. "I figured it could be as cheesy as I like as long as it has something to do with words."

"You're right about that, I'm a sucker for anything with words."

"Anyway… I was thinking that maybe we could start our story in the place where some of the greatest stories have started," Percy began. When he saw Annabeth's confused look on her face, he continued. "I talked with Mr. D today as you know to talk about the record and he loved it. He loved it so much that they want to get it out and into stores as soon as possible and… there's going to be a tour. A European Tour. And I want you to come with me," Percy said.

He watched in pure glee as Annabeth's face slowly lit up as she realized what he was saying. Her grey eyes grew wider and wider as she stared at Percy. He laughed at her expression. "Are you kidding me!" Annabeth said excitedly. "Please tell me you're not joking!" She said.

"I'm not joking, why would I joke about something like this?" Percy asked innocently. "I swear I want you to come to Europe with me."

"Oh my gods Percy! Oh my gods!" Annabeth said, getting close to hyperventilating. "Is this even… legal?"

"Leave it to you to ask about the legality of things and of course it is. I'm the Percy Jackson, I can do what I want. And I want you to come with me to Europe."

Annabeth squealed, a sound that she didn't make a lot but Percy found almost… cute when she did it. Her eyes were filled with wild excitement and her hair was flying everywhere in the quick wind.

"I'm going to see the Eifel Tower and the London Eye and Big Ben and oh gods! Percy I'm going to get to see the Parthenon and the Coliseum!" She said hurriedly and then she flung herself into Percy's arms who caught her laughing.

"I'm glad you're excited to go," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her brow. "It's in two months but I figured that you'd want enough time to prepare and everything."

Annabeth smiled contently as she automatically nestle deeper into Percy's strong embrace. "This is perfect," she said, smiling.

"I know Wise Girl, I know," he said, running his fingers through her blond curls that were wild and untamable just like she was. And he liked that about her.

He kissed her brow.

The two of them just laid there, Percy holding Annabeth tight as they looked up at the stars that were barely hanging in the sky.

o.O.o

Men hardly look up.

They tend to look down. Down at their peers, down at the homeless man on the street, down at their clothes to make sure they look good enough for everyone else, down at their work and their stress, down at their watches to pray that the minutes fly by faster. They never pause. They're always looking at their feet to make sure that they get to where they're going. They always look at down on themselves, always down on their friends.

They never look up.

They never look at the stars that shine in the night air. Never look at the sun which offers its warmth and trust. Never look at the moon which tells of peaceful sleeps. They never stop to listen to the wind whisper in their ears. Never pause to look around at their fellow neighbors.

And that is why on this night, no one looked up at the Empire State Building.

No one looked up to see the boy with the green eyes like the sea leaning in close to the girl with hair of gold, his lips ghosting her skin.

No one looked up to see her soft smile at his touch.

No one looked up to see as he pressed his lips to her and as the two of them were completely focused on the love that they both had for each other.

No one looked up to see as two people began their own story together.

No one saw the love blooming.

Because no one looks up.

No, not even in New York.

Especially not in New York.

**There we go! Eep okay this is my second attempt at this chapter, Bloom. I think that it's actually better than the first round. Um… sorry if it's sappy. I told you I'm terrible at Romance! I love reading it but I can't write it! Uhg! Perhaps that is my writing fatal flaw!**

**They're going to Europe! yes! If you all remember that's what Annabeth wanted to do most in her life and Percy's helping her do it! Ahhh how sweet!**

**So what did you all think? Please review? Please! I want to get to a thousand reviews by the end of next week! Or is that too crazy? Maybe it is… but hey I can dream right? Um… so happy news! Heart by Heart has made it to the sixth page if you sort the pages by reviews! Yes! (If you're categorizing them only by Percabeth stuff!) So yep… so happy!**

**So review and please favorite and follow so that I can get up on those too? Please? This means sooo much to me. Like more than you know… okay maybe you do know.**

**The song used in this is Bloom by Paper Kites! Thanks for those who recommended it! I love it sooo much! OMG RIGHT NOW I'm WATCHING THE DIVERGENT TRAILER. RIGHT NOW AS I'M TYPING THIS! IT'S ON TV! OKAY I KNOW THIS IS RANDOM BUT IT'S DIVERGENT! IT'S DIVERGENT! I'M GETTING CHILLS, LIKE BAD CHILLS! THERE'S THE ZIPLINING! Okay…. Sorry I just had to type that.**

**Okay so yep… :) I'm happy today… maybe it's because my parents are gone, I don't know. Writing makes me happy. Message me please! I'm messaging you all back, it's taking a while but I'm doing it all! Don't worry! :) Love you all!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- I'm reading Harry Potter because I can read it with my parents not here… hahaha. Reading The Half Blood Prince right now.**

**Post Post Script- I'm watching the figure skating for the Women in the Olympics. I feel sooo bad for the 15 year old Russian who fell. Gods that must be terrible. I'm kind of rooting for the Russians in this one…. Is that bad? I mean I'm also going for Gracie and Ashley but yeah… I kind of want the Russians. So sue me. I find this so beautiful… love their selections of music… okay I'm done now. Love ya'll and good night.**

**Post Post Post Script- MESSAGE ME! **


	25. Thanks

**Guys I'm so sorry! This was going to be longer, actually far, far longer but then I found out my parents are going to be here in twenty minutes so I had to speed type to finish something so I can give you something to read!**

**Birch and Hannah are back! (I think I'm actually going to write their story!)**

**And yes I know it's not Thanksgiving.**

**I don't own.**

**Chapter Twenty Four Thanks**

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Percy asked Annabeth as they were curled up on Annabeth's couch in her small loft, watching Mary Poppins which she had finally convinced Percy to watch with her through much pleading and arguing.

"I don't know, Thalia has to go to some dinner thing with her dad and Malcolm and Lacey are getting together that night so I guess I'll order Chinese or something and eat it here and watch movies," Annabeth said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're going to be alone on Thanksgiving?" Percy asked. He couldn't remember a Thanksgiving where he hadn't been with at least a friend. "That's ridiculous."

"It's better than working on Thanksgiving," Annabeth said. "I used to have to work at the coffee shop down in San Francisco when I lived there all Thanksgiving."

"Why the hell would you do that?"

Annabeth shrugged again. "I needed the money and my boss would pay double for holidays because no one wanted to work them. So I worked every holiday so I could get out of there as fast as possible."

"And your parents didn't even care?"

"Why would they care?" Annabeth said. "I was kind of the family's black sheep and dark secret. My stepmother wouldn't introduce me to any of her friends ever because she was so embarrassed that her husband had an affair."

"Technically it wasn't an affair," Percy pointed out as he ran his fingers through her curls. Percy had realized that he really liked doing this. It was a nice feeling when he touched Annabeth's curls, it almost calmed him down when he was angered.

"Sue didn't care, I wasn't her kid and that was enough reason for her to treat me like I was dirt," Annabeth said.

"That's not a good enough reason," Percy said.

"You try explaining that to her," Annabeth snorted. They were silent for a few minutes, sitting there and watching the movie play.

"Well on a happier note, I know what you're doing for Thanksgiving," Percy said cheerfully.

"Do you?" Annabeth asked.

"Yep, you're coming with me to my mom's house for Thanksgiving," he said.

"Percy, I can't just interject like that, I mean your mom doesn't even know who I am," Annabeth said.

"Exactly, she wants to meet you. I think that she already likes you from what she's seen on the TV. And plus you won't be interjecting into our dinner, Nico and some of my friends are coming over anyway. What's one more plate on the table? We usually have a bunch of leftovers anyway. Come on Wise Girl, I know that you want to, I can see it in your face."

It was true, Annabeth did want to go badly. She wanted to experience a family, and feel loved. And she most definitely did not want to spend her Thanksgiving at home alone with a box of take out Chinese food.

"Okay, as long as it's okay with your mom," Annabeth said.

"Great," Percy grinned.

o.O.o

**Excerpt from The Letter Writer by WiseGirl36:**

_Hannah sat on the hospital bed, her legs crossed and her head in her hands as she stared at Birch with her violet eyes as he sat across from her in the hospital chair, staring right back with those dark brown eyes which had made dozens of girls swoon._

_"What do you want to do with your life?" Hannah asked. Birch had continually arrived at Hannah's hospital room every day after school. _

_So far he was the only one._

_Her parents came every once and a while but they were too busy and since she wasn't dying, they figured that she would be fine alone._

_"I don't know yet. I've always been interested in being a hobo," Birch said with a grin. Hannah shook her head, trying to keep from laughing. "No honestly, I've always wanted to be able to travel around without having to worry about work or any of that stuff."_

_"Birch, I don't think it's that simple," Hannah said."You have to find money for food because, for some reason, I can't see you digging around in a garbage can for some food."_

_"Then can I be a rich hobo?" Birch asked hopefully. Hannah laughed._

_"I don't think it works that way," she said, laughing until she started coughing badly. She doubled over, her chest feeling on fire as she continued to cough, mucus and blood coming up. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move. She hunched over, trying to gasp for breaths._

_Birch jumped up and rushed to her side, "Hannah, Hannah," he said, shaking her arms. He reached over and pressed the panic button on the side of her bed to alert a nurse. "Hannah, calm down, try calming down," he begged her. _

_A nurse rushed into the room and once again, as what happened many times a week, Birch was pushed out of the room as they tried to help Hannah breathe easily._

_And every time it scared him a little more._

_o.O.o_

_"How you doing?" Birch asked as he opened the door to Hannah's hospital room the next day, holding a notebook and a book in his hand. Hannah was laying in her bed, looking pale and tired, dark circles ran under her eyes as she stared at him and tried to smile weakly._

_"Like hell," she said, shrugging. "Or shit. Depends on my mood."_

_"I stopped by your house and picked up the books you wanted," Birch said, setting them on the table next to her bed and then drawing up a chair next to her. He shrugged off his black leather jacket and hung it over his chair, revealing his tattoo covered arms. _

_"Thanks," Hannah said, as she picked up the book on Architecture she had been reading before she had been sent to the hospital._

_"So what happened yesterday?" He asked._

_Hannah shrugged. "Nasty junk got stuck in my lungs, the cancer's spread to my lungs which cause the mucus and the blood and the hard time breathing. They're setting me up on a machine for when I got to bed at night. They drained all the fluid from my lungs yesterday."_

_"That's good that they were able to fix it, right?" Birch asked._

_"Sure," Hannah said. "I just woke up about ten minutes ago actually, I was pretty much conked out for all of today. What's going on at school?" _

_Birch shrugged. "Same old, same old. Behind the dumpster is getting way too crowded. I can't believe I even smoked," Birch said, shaking his head._

_"Some people just have to see reality to actually understand," Hannah said. "And now you have."_

_They sat there in silence, looking at each other. When Birch looked at Hannah he felt his heart ache. How could a girl who seemed so alive be dying? It was unfair. 9 out of ten kids survived Thyroid cancer, the kids that were treated had a 99% success rate. And here she was, her cancer had spread all over and now she was a part of the 9/10 people that did not recover from this type. _

_A cancer which should have been healed turned into terminal. _

_It was unfair._

_"Stop staring at me like that," Hannah said._

_"Like what?" Birch asked._

_"Like I'm going to die and it's unfair. It doesn't help my mood," Hannah said crossing her arms. "Rule number one of being here with me, you can't make that face."_

_Birch smiled. "Okay, okay I won't make the face." He looked outside the window and saw something which surprised him. "Is that a play ground on the roof of a hospital?" He asked._

_"Huh?" Hannah asked, she sat up in her bed and craned her head to look out the window. "Oh yeah, the nurse told me about it a few days. No one really goes up there at all." _

_Birch stood up. "Come on we're going," he said, pulling on his jacket. _

_"What?" Hannah asked, confused._

_"We're going onto the play ground," he said, grinning. _

_"Why? We're seniors in highschool, we're not going to go and play on a playground," Hannah said._

_"Of course we are. Live a little Aspen," he said, calling Hannah by her last name which she somehow found endearing. "I'll go ask one of the nurses if we can. Hell I haven't been on a swing set in eons!" Birch said, throwing his hands up into the air. _

_Hannah giggled a little. "You're crazy," she said, rolling her eyes._

_"All the best people are darling," he said in his smooth drawl. "I'll be right back." He disappeared out of the room._

_Hannah hugged her arms to her chest and sat there, a giddy smile on her face. Who would have thought that she would become friends with her school's number one "bad" boy? Her Hannah Aspen, the perfect, model student with her life set in place, friends with Birch Waters, the boy who shagged a new girl every week. _

_And maybe it was becoming more than just a friendship._

_Whenever he came into the room, whenever he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back. There was something about his energy, about his eyes that lit up all the time that made Hannah smile. She was usually quite an angry person in life, but Birch made her feel free._

_"Why are you smiling?" He asked when he came back into the room with a wheelchair, grinning proudly to himself._

_"No reason," Hannah said, pulling the covers off, glad that she had managed to pull on a pair of sweats and sweater early when she had woken up. _

_"Uh huh," Birch said. "Sure. The nurse said we could go but I've got to wheel you there," he said, moving to help her out of the bed. He placed his arm around her waist to give her support as her frail form leaned up against his muscular one. _

_Hannah leaned into Birch, smelling his distinct scent that made her smile. It was sharp and spicy but she loved it. He looked down at her and grinned as he helped her into the wheelchair, blowing his long dark hair from his eyes._

_"I hate wheelchairs," Hannah said as Birch handed her the oxygen tank which she held in her arms. _

_"Why they're so much fun," Birch said as he steered her out of the room._

_"No, they're embarrassing," Hannah said. "It basically says, 'Hey! I'm a sick girl and I'm stuck in a wheelchair because I can't even walk!' That is embarrassing Birch, not fun." _

_"Obviously you haven't had wheelchair races down the hallway," he said as they rolled down the long white hospital hallways. Birch was a master at dodging nurses and doctors as he rolled her to the elevator._

_"And you have," Hannah scoffed._

_"Of course I have! I broke my leg in eighth grade when I fell off my motorcycle," Birch said proudly, as if breaking your leg was a badge of honor._

_"You had a motorcycle in eighth grade! Is that even legal?" Hannah asked as he pushed her into the elevator and hit the button which the nurse he had instructed him to hit._

_"Nope, but when you're Dad is one of the richest men in the US, you get to do a lot of things that aren't legal," Birch said as the elevator dinged. A lady entered, dressed in a business suit and holding a briefcase. She gave Hannah a pitiful look as if to say, 'So sorry you're in a wheelchair. You poor thing, you're probably not going to live much longer.' Hannah scowled back at her._

_Birch got her out of the elevator as quick as he could before she blew up._

_"Honestly that's what I'm sick of! I can't even leave my room without getting the pity looks!" Hannah cried in frustration. _

_"Calm down Aspen, you're going to blow a fuse," Birch said as he rolled her out of two double doors and into the fresh air. Hannah snorted._

_Outside, high above the city of New York, on top of the hospital, Hannah felt powerful. She grinned. For once she was looking down on everyone, instead of being stuck in a hospital bed. The playground was empty and there was a lonely swing set which Birch rolled the wheelchair to. He helped Hannah out and as he held her small form he felt powerful. He felt strong and brave holding Hannah Aspen, the girl who wasn't going to give up._

_"Want me to push you?" Birch asked._

_"Sure," Hannah said as she settled down onto the swing, wrapping her arms around the chains that held the swing and then clutching her oxygen tank. Birch moved behind her and began to gently pushed her forward. _

_"I wish that I wasn't sick," Hannah said. _

_"I wish you weren't sick too," Birch agreed. "And I think the sky agrees with you." He nodded towards the grey clouds which had hung over New York for weeks now. _

_"Glad to know I have the Universe on my side," Hannah snorted again. _

_"It's always good to have the Universe on your side," Birch agreed. _

_"Yep," Hannah said, popping her 'p'. "Jake texted me today. He wants to come and visit me finally," Hannah said rolling her eyes._

_Birch felt his stomach drop. He had forgotten that she had a boyfriend. Damn it! How could he forget that little detail? He was so screwed. He was falling in love with a girl who already was in a serious relationship and who also was dying. _

_He sure knew how to pick them._

_"I'm not sure I want to see him though," Hannah said, voicing her thoughts. Birch suddenly looked up. She didn't want to see her boyfriend?_

_"And why don't you want to see Mr. 'I'm so perfect and hot and everyone should want to drool over me?'" Birch asked sarcastically. _

_"For those very reasons. I'm so damn sick and tired of him. He has had how many weeks to contact me and he decides to do it now? Some boyfriend," Hannah said glumly. _

_Birch knew he shouldn't be excited… but hell he was always a rebel. He was ecstatic. Finally someone else understood just how frickin annoying Jake was. "And plus there's another reason," Hannah said softly._

_"Oh and what is that?" He asked. _

_Hannah stood up, her legs shaking. She turned to face Birch from through the swing, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Because I think I'm falling in love with someone else."_

_Birch walked around the swing and then looked at her, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly. "And who is that?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning in closer to her._

_"Take a guess," Hannah breathed._

_And then she stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her and kissing him._

**End Except from The Letter Writer by WiseGirl36.**

o.O.o

Annabeth stood in front of the address Percy had texted her, bouncing on the balls of her feet awkwardly as she stood in front of the door, debating whether to knock or not. Ever since she was a little girl she always had a problem knocking on the doors of someone's house that she didn't know. What if it wasn't their house? What if it was someone else's?

That would be so embarrassing.

Biting her lip, she knocked on the door.

A lady with wavy brown hair and a few streaks of grey running through it answered and looked at Annabeth. "Oh you must be Annabeth!" She said, smiling.

Annabeth let out an inward sigh of relief. Thank God this was the right house!

"Come on it, come on in, Percy's told me so much about you," she said, stepping aside for Annabeth. "Here let me hold that for you so you can take your coat off." Annabeth handed Mrs. Jackson the pie she had made Thalia's house earlier that day while they were watching the parade from Thalia's windows. She shrugged her coat off and hung it on one of the hooks which Mrs. Jackson had pointed to.

"This smells lovely Annabeth, what is it?" Mrs. Jackson asked as she looked at the container.

"It's an apple pie," Annabeth said, smiling.

"Lovely! I made a pumpkin so we'll be all set! And Piper will probably bring a pecan as she usually does. That's more than enough but sometimes I wonder when we have all these men in the house," Mrs. Jackson winked at Annabeth. "Follow me to the kitchen."

The townhouse was very nice and quaint, meticulously clean. It made Annabeth's heart ache for a moment as she realized she had never lived in a house like this. Her father's house had always been so precise and… white. This house was warm and friendly.

"Percy!" Mrs. Jackson yelled. "Your friends have started coming!"

Annabeth almost laughed at the fact that Mrs. Jackson was yelling at Percy like he was still a little boy. "Thank you Mrs. Jackson," she said politely.

"Oh gods Annabeth, call me Sally. Mrs. Jackson sounds like my mother," she said.

"Alright… Sally," Annabeth said.

Percy came tumbling down the stairs, his hair a mess as he grinned at Annabeth. "Hey Wise Girl," he said, enfolding her in a hug and kissing her forehead. "Glad you could make it."

"Glad I could make it too," Annabeth said.

"I see you've already met my mom, she hasn't scared you too much has she," Percy said as he hugged his mom.

"Not at all," Annabeth said. "She's a lot nicer than you are."

"Of course, most people are," Percy said distractedly as he tried to peer at the container in Sally's hands. "What is this? Is that apple pie? Oh gods Wise Girl you are the best!" Percy said as he tried to take the pie from Sally's hands.

"Oh no you don't," Sally scolded. "Knowing you it'd be gone in less than five minutes."

"You wound me mother," Percy said, pressing a hand to his heart. "You underestimate my ability to speed eat, I could have it done in less than three."

"Yes you probably could Percy, now why don't you go and help Paul with the TV, he's been trying to get the football game on and he's having trouble."

"Yes ma'am," Percy said in mock salute and then ran out of the room. Sally shook her head.

"Honestly I wonder how that boy even managed to get where he was. He acts like such a little boy at times," Sally said as Annabeth followed her into their kitchen which smelled heavenly.

Sally set the pie down on the granitite counter and then turned and leaned against the counter, looking at her. "So how did you and Percy meet?"

Annabeth shifted nervously in her shoes. "Actually we sort of kinda met online? I wrote a story and Percy read it and well… I might not have ended it like he wanted me to and so he came and tried to find me."

Sally laughed. "That sounds like Percy, when something doesn't happen how he likes it, he complains and throws a fit," Sally said.

"I helped him finish his last album and then we found out that we actually sort of knew each other from Goode High school," Annabeth explained. "When I was a sophomore I wrote letters and placed them in library books and Percy found them."

Sally tapped her jaw. "I remember back then, that was when Percy stopped hanging out in his gang and drinking and smoking," she said. And then she looked at Annabeth, her eyes lighting up. "Was it because of the letters? Oh I bet it was!" She said.

Annabeth gave a weak smile. "That's what he told me."

"Oh my gods, you wonderful, wonderful girl," Sally said and then she wrapped Annabeth up in a large hug. "You are amazing for helping my son. I was so worried about him and then something just changed…"

Annabeth gave Sally a smile. "I didn't even know I was doing it. I just wrote."

"Sometimes it's when we least know it that we change people the most," Sally said, smiling. The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Annabeth heard Percy yell.

"Well here they are," Sally smiled. "Thank you Annabeth, you have no idea how much you've changed my son. There are no words I can use to describe it."

**I'm so sorry it had to end and be sooo short. I wanted it to be super long and I didn't think my parents would be pack for another few hours but they're almost here and now I have to go hide all my books, delete the internet history and clean the house! So this is a short author's note!**

**Review, favorite, like do all that stuff! Oh and message me!**

**~Luna-Incendia14**

**Post Script- Reading The Apology of Socrates... and Harry Potter :) But my parents are back so I'll probably read Robin McKinley.**


	26. Not A Lost Art

**Sorry it has taken me forever! Eep… I feel terrible! But it is the longest chapter I have ever posted, it's about fifteen pages on Word so you're lucky! **

**Review! Follow! Favorite!**

**Disclaimer- I'm so bad at remembering to do this… don't own. If I ever forget just use deductive reasoning and know if I'm on fanfiction then I probably don't own Percy Jackson… **

**Chapter Twenty Six Not a Lost Art**

"Sally," a cheerful voice said as a girl flew into Sally's arm in a flash of black hair. "I'm so glad to see you again!" Silena said as she untangled herself from Sally's arms and placed the container in her hands down on the counter. Annabeth stared at it, it was wrapped brightly with a bow. She gave Silena a curious look.

"I brought snacks for the games," Silena said with a wink. "I'm so happy you could come Annabeth!" She said as she hugged Annabeth as if she was her long lost sister. "It's going to be so much more fun with you!" She said, her voice always as bubbly and cheerful as it usually was.

"I'm glad I could come to, it beats my plans of Chinese takeout," Annabeth said.

"Oh my gods are you serious? You can't be serious! That's terrible!" Silena said, gushing over Annabeth.

"I'm used to it," she shrugged.

"Well you're part of the family now," Silena said, linking arms with her. "And family doesn't abandon family."

Annabeth nearly snorted, she had heard that line before from a certain blonde with a magnificent scar down the side of his cheek. And what had happened? He had lied to her and dumped her cold… like yesterday's trash as Thalia would say.

Not that Thalia saying that had helped Annabeth.

"Oh my gods you came!" Silena squealed again and suddenly unlatched Annabeth from her death-hold and latched onto her next victim, a girl with short curly hair which fell right below her ears and pretty earthy colored eyes.

"Yeah, Travis convinced me to take the day off to come," the girl said as she calmly pushed Silena away from her as if she was used to doing so. She set down a large casserole dish. "I brought sweat potatoes," she said. "Hi Sally."

"Hi Katie," Sally said as she turned her back to open the stove to check on the turkey, letting out an intoxicating smell. Annabeth felt her mouth water slightly.

"Annabeth have you met Katie?" Silena asked as she brushed away a strand of dark hair from her eyes. "Katie works at Ceres."

"We've met," Katie said. _We have? _Annabeth thought to herself. "Percy and her came in a few weeks ago. Remember it was all over the news?"

_Ah yes… that Katie_ Annabeth remembered.

"Oh I remember that! They were so cute on that cover of the magazine!" Silena gushed. "I knew that they were perfect for each other ever since then." Annabeth saw Sally smiling to herself as she worked on the mashed potatoes.

"I know, when they came in Percy tried to dismiss them just as friends, but I knew better," Katie said. Annabeth felt her cheeks turning crimson as they continued to talk about her and Percy. She nervously jammed her hands into the pockets of her pants and looked down at her boots.

"There you are! I want you to meet some guys," Percy said suddenly appearing in the kitchen to Annabeth's relief. He took Annabeth's hand and then pulled her out of the kitchen, but not before Annabeth could hear Silena sigh happily. She rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for saving me from a fate worse than death, "Annabeth said sarcastically.

"Oh and what was that?" Percy asked raising an eyebrow.

"An in-depth analysis of our relationship provided by the resident expert, Silena with side commentary by Katie," Annabeth said. Percy snorted.

"Silena's like that, she thinks that she's the modern day Aphrodite of matchmaking. She's a model, she works for Venus Aphrodite, you met her as I remember her telling me. But Silena's not shallow, not in the least bit. Yeah she likes all that girly stuff… but she has depth beyond belief. You just have to be there for the rare occasions when it shows."

"I'll take your word for it," Annabeth said.

"You should, I'm a very reliable person," Percy said, swinging their entwined hands back and forth.

"As well as a completely prideful person," Annabeth reminded him as she so often did.

"We all can't be perfect," Percy said shrugging, "But I'm as close as you can get." Annabeth snorted and Percy grinned at her. He found her snort to actually be quite endearing… in a sense that she was _real_. She was real flesh and bone, with human emotions and human logic. She was perfect in every sense to him.

She was real.

Inside the den the large flat screen TV had been set up to the football game and at least five other guys were crowded on the two large, black sectional couches, sprawled in different directions. Annabeth recognized a few of them from the club but two of them were foreign faces to her.

"Annabeth meet Travis and Connor Stoll," Percy said pointing to the two men she had never met before. They both looked incredibly similar with crooked grins and mischievous green eyes and unruly hair. But one of them had hair resembling a color closer to blonde whereas the other one had hair closer to brown. "Connor's the one with the brown hair, Travis the blondish one," Percy said. "Travis is dating Katie who you've met."

"And Connor is currently single and available," Connor said from his spot on the couch, winking at Annabeth.

"Nice try Stoll," Percy said, as he held Annabeth's hand tighter. "Make sure you watch your wallet around these two."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"You'll see," Percy said, winking at her. "And you've already met Beckendorf, Grover, and Leo."

"That's Captain Toolbelt to you," Leo said from where he was lazily flopped on the only easy chair in the room, fiddling with parts in his hands which were tinged with grease.

"He had a late night last night," Grover said, leaning over and patting Leo's shoulder. Annabeth smiled. She remembered Grover from elementary school though she was sure he wouldn't remember her. He used to hang out with Luke, Thalia, and her but then come sixth grade he had stopped. He had definetly changed, looking older and more mature and yet he was also the same old Grover, with the wild curls that would turn into an afro if he didn't cut them frequently.

"What were you doing last night Leo?" Percy asked.

"I had to finish the designs for the upcoming movie," Leo said with a heavy sigh. "I guess I'm just too good, everyone wants me."

"Yes I'm sure that's the problem," Percy said, rolling his eyes.

The doorbell rang and Annabeth followed Percy to answer it.

Outside Piper and Jason were standing hand in hand, Piper was practically beaming at Jason. And behind them stood one awkward looking Nico D'Angelo, his hands in the pockets of his black pants as he looked uncertainly between the couple.

"Hi Percy, Annabeth," Piper said as she swept into the room with a refined grace, smiling broadly at the two of them. "So glad that you two are finally official, we were all waiting for it," she said simply and then wander back into the house. She paused and turned to look at Jason. "Coming Jason?" She asked.

"Yeah," Jason said as he pulled off his coat and hanged it up on the hook. "Hey Percy, Annabeth," Jason said and then he followed Piper with that same dreamy look in his eyes as he always had when he looked at Piper.

Nico stepped in with a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I ran into those two lovebirds outside. I don't think I've smelled so much romance in the air… I need an air freshener." Percy laughed out loud and then slapped Nico on the back in that awkward hug that boys always gave each other.

"Percy is that everyone?" Sally called from the kitchen.

"Yeah Mom!" Percy called back as he brushed a curl off of Annabeth's cheek absentmindedly. "Nico's here too so everyone's accounted for!"

"Okay then, let's get this food on the table! Will you call Tyson!" She called.

"Sure!" Percy yelled back. Annabeth smiled at the fact that they yelled in their house. Some people hated it when there was yelling echoing in their houses (aka Sue, the evil stepmother) but Annabeth found it slightly… endearing? Perhaps it was the fact that both Percy and Sally seemed so comfortable in their house.

She wished that she had been given a family like this.

Percy showed Annabeth to a staircase just off of the front hallway. "Tyson! Food's ready!" Percy called up the stairs. Annabeth heard a thumping sound and she looked curiously up the stairs as a large form lumbered downstairs.

It was a boy.

Maybe that wasn't the right word. He wasn't quite a man yet he wasn't a boy. He seemed stuck in the transitioning age. He had long brown hair which fell over his right eye. The other eye was large and brown. He was large and could easily give a defensive lineman a run for his money in football. Annabeth shuddered a little at the sheer mass of… person in front of her. He gave Percy a childish grin.

"Percy!" Tyson said, hugging his half-brother.

"Hey, big guy, good to see you again," Percy said as he tried to pat Tyson on the back but his arms were squished too lightly.

"I saw fish ponies again!" Tyson said. Annabeth couldn't help but wonder what fish ponies were.

"That's awesome big guy," Percy said. "What would be more awesome is if you stopped trying to kill me by collapsing my lungs." Annabeth snorted as Tyson let go of Percy who then dusted himself off and straightened his jacket.

"Tyson I want you to meet my girlfriend, Annabeth," Percy said, holding Annabeth's hand.

Tyson studied her with his one eyes and then grinned at her. "Pretty," he said. "I like Annabeth." She tried not to shudder at his voice and his terrible use of grammar.

"It's nice to meet you as well Tyson," Annabeth said diplomatically, not quite sure how to respond to the giant in front of her. He seemed harmless enough… but looks were deceiving.

"Percy come on we're starving!" Leo yelled from somewhere else in the house. Annabeth thanked her lucky stars for Commander Toolbelt right then and there.

"Coming, cool your jets man!" Percy yelled back, rolling his eyes and making a face at Annabeth. She rolled her eyes right back.

"Come on Seaweed Brain, if they don't get food soon I have a feeling they'll resort to cannibalism and you'll be the first to go."

"Nah we've already discussed this, Jason would probably be the first to go," Percy said. "Honestly Wise Girl, that was the topic of last year's Thanksgiving Dinner."

Annabeth couldn't help but wonder what she had gotten herself into. What sort of Thanksgiving Dinner was centered on a conversation about cannibalism? "Do I even want to know how the heck you all started to talk about that," Annabeth said, shaking her head.

"Probably not," Percy grinned.

The dining room was set up elegantly, with a long white table cloth and china dishes. "Honestly I don't know why Mom goes through so much of a fuss. You could give us paper plates and we'd be fine. Sure almost all of us are millionaires but hey, food is food no matter what it's served on," Percy muttered in Annabeth's ear.

She rolled her eyes in reply. "Well for those of us whose pockets aren't that deep, it's beautiful," she said.

Everyone else was already seated according to the place cards on their plates. Tyson sat down next to Sally and Grover who looked liked he might pass out whenever he looked at Tyson. Annabeth got a strong feeling that Grover wasn't the biggest fan of Tyson.

Not that she blamed him.

Annabeth was between Percy and Piper, thankfully. She wasn't in the mood to sit next to the one of the Stoll brothers who she didn't trust as far as she could through them… which wasn't very far.

"I'll bless the food," Paul said as they all bowed their heads. Annabeth found it strange that she was eating Thanksgiving Dinner with her old highschool English teacher. Heck she found it weird that she still remembered who her highschool English teacher was.

Then again she was dating _the _Percy Jackson.

If that could happen then other strange things could happen as well.

"Food looks amazing once again Sally," Leo said as he looked greedily at the bowl of black eyed peas in front of him (**AN: Don't judge! I love them!)**.

"Thank you Leo," Sally said. "Just this time Grover, please don't eat the tablecloth." Annabeth gave Percy a curious look. He responded with a look that said _You had to be there to believe it_. Grover turned beat red and muttered something about being really hungry.

"So Annabeth what do you do for a living?" Paul asked her politely.

"Um… I work at Olympian Scrolls," Annabeth said casually. Looking around the table, she realized that almost all of these people were probably seriously rich. She wasn't jealous of them at all… nope not at all.

Paul's eyebrows rose up. "And how did you manage to meet Percy over here?" He asked. He probably thought she was some famous person. After all it wasn't every day that a celebrity fell in love with a normal girl.

"We met at the masquerade party Zeus throws every year," Percy said, filling in for her. "Annabeth's best friends with Thalia Grace, Jason's sister. She went to the party with her."

"Oh you two were perfect that night," Piper said. "Honestly if you could have seen the look on his face when he first saw you Annabeth, I was sure he was going to die."

Annabeth snorted and turned to Percy, "I was that good looking huh Seaweed Brain?" She asked.

"Not going to deny it," he grinned.

The conversation continued on and Annabeth learned that Piper was in law school but her father was the famous Tristan McLean, the famous movie star. She wanted to become an advocate for women's rights. Her and Jason had been dating since they were juniors in highschool.

Grover was an animal activist who was super close with Percy and ran his own Vegan restaurant which was incredibly popular. Apparently he wouldn't eat any meat, hence the "Tofu Tom" as they had dubbed the strange looked bird like thing which Grover was eating. "You can hardly taste the difference," Grover had said. Annabeth didn't believe him.

Leo worked for big movie companies, creating special effects. Some of his set designs had even won him two Academy Awards. At his age it was a feat to marvel at. He named some movies that he had been in charge of and Annabeth's eyes popped open, those movies had been blockbusters and had been praised for their visual effects.

And the Stolls… well Annabeth was still slightly confused about what they did.

She had been watching Connor for a while, watching as he fingered a quarter in the palm of his hands. He closed his fingers around it and then opened his hand. Annabeth looked at him impressed. "They're magicians, the two of them perform all the time at big joints around the city and nation," Percy whispered in her ear. "Plus they have this incredible joke shop. I'll have to show you to it some time."

"Annabeth, Percy said you're a writer, what do you write?" Sally asked. Annabeth felt her cheeks turning bright red as she looked down at her potatoes and gravy. She shifted awkwardly in her seat. She didn't care to talk about her writing with just anyone.

Some things were far too important, far too special, far too personal to share with just anyone. They were the moments in your life that you'll always remember. They're your passions, your dreams, your hopes which are tucked away in your soul until the right person comes along to unlock the key to get into them.

"Um well… I'm getting a minor in Creative Writing, but I major in Language Arts," Annabeth said, trying to cover up what she really did. She could only see the shock on their faces when she said that she worked on writing on an online website… even though she was somewhat of a celebrity. For some reason, in this day and age, you weren't really a "writer" unless you had something published. Annabeth found that stupid. She had read stuff online that was ten times better than the trash which had become a Nation Bestseller. It was pathetic the amount of garbage people shoved into their brains.

"That's interesting, are you attending NYU?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, I'll be going there this next year. I attended UCLA for the past two years but I transferred to NYU a little too late to catch this year," Annabeth said.

"Why did you come to New York?" Katie asked.

"I grew up here and moved to California my sophomore year. I've always loved New York so I couldn't wait to get back. And plus I was excited to get away from my parents," she admitted.

"I think we all understand that feeling," Connor muttered as he slumped in his seat and stabbed at his stuffing as if he was picturing his parent's face…. With the emphasis he was putting into the jerking movements, Annabeth would not want to be on the receiving end of that fork.

"Second that," Leo said, his eyes growing a bit dark.

Annabeth looked at everyone around the table, all of them shifting uncomfortably in their seats as if they all had family issues. While she never would want anyone else to have to go through what she was going through, it was nice to know that she wasn't the only one.

"So Annabeth is it true that you and Percy worked together on his latest album?" Silena asked, smiling as she tried to change the subject to something a bit… happier.

"Yep," she said, not sure of what other details she could give.

"Annabeth here was my muse for this last album, I don't know what I would have done without her," Percy said as he squeezed her hand under the table.

"You probably wouldn't have been able to do anything seaweed brain," Annabeth said pointedly. "I think we nearly drove Nico insane sometimes."

Everyone turned to look at Nico who was slouched in his seat between Grover and Travis, looking very uncomfortable. Not that Annabeth blamed him. He seemed more like the type of person who liked to work in the background, not stand in the spotlight.

Sometimes those people were the best people. They listened a lot, hearing everything you said, understanding how you felt. They were the people who you wanted as your friends because they cared, they honestly felt for you. They listened. And sometimes listening is better than talking.

"I guess I managed to survive since I'm here," Nico said solemnly.

"Or you're a zombie," Beckendorf pointed out, pointing his knife at Nico. "Sometimes I worry that you are."

Nico rolled his eyes at Beckendorf and then went back to picking absentmindedly at his peas which seemed very interesting to him.

"Do you want dessert now or later?" Sally asked as everyone began to push their plates back on the table and let out groans of being full. At the mention of dessert, Leo perked up, sitting up straight in his chair.

"Now of course," Leo said. Everyone else moaned in protest, glaring at him.

"Sorry Leo, I guess we're a democracy," Sally said sympathetically. "Majority rules. I'll set out dessert and you guys can have it later, how does that sound?"

"Sounds great Mom," Percy said. "Let's head to the den, maybe the game's still on." Everyone managed to push themselves out of their chairs and troop out of the room. Annabeth stayed seated, smirking as they went by, thinking how similar they looked to highschoolers.

"Let me help you Sally," Annabeth said, standing up and reaching over to pile the plates everyone had eaten from up into one stack.

"Thank you Annabeth," Sally said as Tyson disappeared up stairs and Paul headed into the kitchen, whistling while he carried the large platter of turkey. "Sometimes the kids forget that people actually have to clean up. They're all so used to having someone else do it for them."

"I don't mind it really, it was nice to be able to have dinner with people, everyone was nice," Annabeth said, smiling.

"Percy sure does have an odd assortment of friends doesn't he? He tends to be very popular with everyone, he was always able to make everyone feel happy and wanted. It was part of his charm. You seemed to fit in well," Sally noted.

"I liked them all, they're… different but I guess we all are," she said as she headed into the kitchen with her stack of plates and set them into the sink. Paul was busy cutting up the turkey and storing it into Tupperware containers.

"For the sandwiches," Paul grinned. "Best part of Thanksgiving," he said as Sally kissed him on the cheek. Annabeth smiled, that's how she hoped she looked when she was older and married.

"Last year Percy brought this terrible girl with her, do you remember that Paul?" Sally asked as she began to spoon potatoes into a large container, blowing her brown hair out of her face. "What was her name? Rebecca? Ridley?"

"Rachel," Paul corrected. "Remember she's that model chick. The one with the red hair."

"Oh yes… Rachel. She didn't seem to fit in too well with Percy's friends, the poor girl. Then again she didn't exactly try," Sally said, making a face. "She spent the whole time attached to Percy. Not the type of girl I want for my son."

"That's probably a good thing to not want," Annabeth said. "Where do you want me to put the cranberry sauce?" She asked.

"Oh just put it in the refrigerator wherever it fits," Sally said, waving her hand in the general direction of the fridge. "We don't care exactly where it goes as long as it fits."

Annabeth opened the stainless steel refrigerator and slid the glass container of red sauce between the eggs and a plate of sausage.

"So Annabeth what do your parents do?" Paul asked as he snapped the lid onto the container and shoved it into the fridge as Annabeth danced out of his way.

"Well my stepmother is in real estate and my dad recently passed away," Annabeth said, trying to dismiss it casually which was pretty damn hard to do. She felt tears prickling in the back of her eyes as she bit her lip to try and keep herself from crying.

"Oh you poor thing, I'm so sorry," Sally said as she went to hug Annabeth.

For some reason, being hugged by Sally, even though she was almost a complete stranger, was comforting. There were certain people in the world that could calm you down and comfort you with just one touch and one soft word. They were the most amazing people in the world.

Sally was one of those people.

"It's okay," Annabeth said. "I wasn't exactly close with him. But it still hurts I guess. My mom ran away from my dad when I was born so it's not like I've had that great of a mother figure… or family in that case."

"The same goes for the rest of Percy's friends. Maybe that's why he identifies with them so well. All of them have at least one parent who's absent from their lives," Sally explained. "Percy's no exception. But I'll tell you what I tell all of them, you are always welcome here."

"Thanks Sally, that means a lot to me," Annabeth said honestly.

"There you are!" Percy said as he appeared in the kitchen. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to. Getting bored of us already?" He asked, grinning. He wrapped his strong arms around Annabeth and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"No, I'm just doing your job and helping your mother like you should be doing," Annabeth teased, poking him in the side.

"Sorry Mom," Percy said. "Anything else you need help with?" He asked. Sally looked around and then shook her head.

"No it's okay Percy, Annabeth helped enough, why don't you two head back into the den with your friends," Sally said.

"Cool, come on Wise Girl," Percy said, grabbing Annabeth's hand and dragging her to the den. Annabeth could almost swear she heard Sally whisper behind them to Paul.

"Those two are perfect for each other."

o.O.o

Annabeth sat curled again Percy's side as they sat on the couch, his arm wrapped around her waist. He smiled smugly to himself as he looked down at her every now and then. Sometimes he would wake up at night and sneak into Annabeth's room where she was currently still staying and just look at her.

No he was not a creepy stalker or anything. He was just shocked, shocked and amazed, shocked and amazed and grateful. Sometimes he couldn't believe his luck whenever he looked at his girlfriend. How on earth had he managed to deserve someone so perfect as her he had no idea. He found it funny that they were almost complete opposites, she was down to earth and hardworking and he liked to goof off and laugh a lot.

And yet they were perfect for each other.

What one of them lacked, the other made up for it.

Whenever he looked at Annabeth he couldn't think of spending his time with anyone else but her, he couldn't think of smiling at anyone else but her.

Gods the thought even made him smile.

"What are you grinning about Percy?" Travis asked from where he lay flopped on the floor, Katie's feet on his chest from where she was propped up against the couch.

"You look like you've been bitten by the love bug," Leo laughed.

Silena rolled her eyes. "Honestly Leo, that wasn't that funny."

"I thought it was funny," Leo muttered to himself. Percy snorted.

"Most of the time when you're the only one who thinks it's funny, it means that it's not," Beckendorf said.

"Or you guys wouldn't know a good joke if it walked right into you and wore a flashing sign that said 'I'm a good joke laugh at me!' and waved it's arms," Leo huffed.

"We do know a good joke… you," Connor said.

"Iusta!" Jason said from where he and Piper were squished on the recliner.

"Iusta?" Nico asked. "What the hell does that mean?" Jason turned read.

"Well… it's the Latin word that's the equivalent of burn…" Jason said, trailing off at the end.

"Do you know how stupid it sounds that you just said burn in Latin?" Leo asked. "You sound like a first class geek."

Jason turned red and looked down at his hands. "Oh shut up you guys, you're just embarrassed that you're not smart enough to know Latin," Piper said, trying to support her boyfriend.

"You know Latin Jason?" Annabeth asked, sitting up at this.

"Yeah… I taught it to myself when I was younger, turns out I have a real knack for the language," Jason said.

"What am I telling you… geek!" Leo said, waving his hand at his best friend.

"Okay why don't we stop picking on poor Jason and play a game or do something productive?" Silena asked, rubbing her hands together.

"If you say movie don't let Jason pick it out, he'd probably choose Gone With the Wind or something like that," Beckendorf said, still scarred from Jason's selection of The Great Gatsby.

"Really it wasn't that bad," Nico said quietly.

"Okay so movie's out…" Silena said.

"We didn't necessarily say that, I mean I'm in the mood to watch one of Leo Valdez's wonders, like the one which got him an Academy Award," Leo hinted, wiggling an eyebrow in Silena's direction.

"Yep, movie is definitely out," Katie said for Silena.

"Want to play a game?" Silena asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm just dying to play heads up seven up," Connor said sarcastically and rolled his eyes as he tossed his ever present quarter into the air and caught it in the palm of his hand. "It'll be fun! We can try and peak from underneath our arms at whoever is pressing our thumbs!"

"Dude, we always won that game," Travis said with a sly glance.

"Because you always cheated!" Katie said indignantly. Percy snorted at Travis and Katie. They had almost been border line enemies back in elementary school. Especially after Travis had littered Katie's garden which she had done for a project in fifth grade with chocolate Easter bunnies. But somehow they had started dating after highschool. Now they were inseparable.

"I don't mean Kindergarten games," Silena said rolling her eyes.

"Then what Monopoly?" Grover asked.

"No, we're not playing that game! Annabeth will crush us all, trust me," Percy said, speaking from personal experience. She wacked him outside the head with the back of her hand.

"What about truth or dare?" Piper suggested.

"What are we? Seventh grade drama queens?" Jason asked his girlfriend indignantly.

"Well sometimes you sure do act like it," Piper said, looking pointedly at the Stolls and Leo.

"I think that's a great idea!" Silena gushed. "It'll be fun! Come on guys!"

"Can we at least make rules? I'm not in the mood to get my picture plastered around the front page of the New York Times because I've run down the street half naked wearing a horse head again," Percy said with a shudder.

"You did what?" Annabeth asked.

"You don't want to know," Percy said shaking his head.

"Fine, fine party pooper," Leo said. "I'll refrain from my genius dares."

Silena clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "I'll start! Charlie, truth or dare?"

Truth or Dare seemed to bring back memories for Percy, memories of when he could smile and when he could goof off with friends. It was nice. It reminded him of a words for the wise Annabeth had once written to him:

_W4W- I think that the things in life that make us the most happy are the small things. The time we spend with friends, the first date with your spouse, your first kiss. Our lives seem so insignificant in the great scheme of the world but really we're all here for a reason or else we wouldn't be put on the earth. Each day that we live is a little miracle, it's a little piece of Heaven. So we shouldn't waste it, we shouldn't give it up. We should live each day, each moment, each second. And we should be thankful for the small things. Because the small things make the big things big._

As well as the awkwardness of Truth or Dare which made him grin every time. The best answers were always from Leo or Katie surprisingly enough. Connor seemed to like to ask Annabeth personal questions about her dating habits, like what she looked for in a man, how she liked to be kissed. He stopped after Percy shot him a life threatening glare. Silena was too nice with any of the dares and the worst she could make someone do was stand on one foot for three minutes straight. Piper was ruthless and had fun coming up with crazy dares.

And surprisingly enough Annabeth found a way to weasel out of every single dare by playing with the grammar structure.

"Told you she was a genius," Percy said causing her to blush.

When they were done playing the game they all romped back into the kitchen for round two of food and completely destroyed all of the dessert. Percy found out that Annabeth was a killer cook. Then again he already knew it from the pancakes and the spaghetti she made him. And the chicken with blue potatoes.

Afterwards they all settled in to suffer through one of Leo's movies, making snarky comments the whole way through.

"Honestly Leo that is so unrealistic, it's impossible for a car to flip that many times and still survive," Nico said.

"I don't understand the point of this movie," Annabeth had added. "There's just a bunch of punching and cars exploding."

"Exactly," Leo grinned. "That's the whole point of it Ms. Chase."

Halfway through Percy tugged Annabeth out and onto the back patio, tired of watching a movie with exploding cars and chicks that looked like they were Barbie on steroids. The wind was cold as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. "I'm glad you could come," he whispered as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"I'm glad you invited me," Annabeth smiled.

"I'm glad we met," Percy countered.

"I'm glad you read my story."

"I'm glad you wrote it."

"I'm glad you read my letters."

"I'm glad you moved to New York City."

"I'm glad you became a Rock Star."

"I'm glad you're here with me."

"I'm glad that you existed," Annabeth said saucily.

"Fine you win," Percy said.

He leaned in closer to her and pulled her into a kiss.

It wasn't an earth shattering mind blowing kiss. It was soft and light and beautiful in a way that only certain kisses could. It made them both feel safe.

And at the moment that's all they needed.

At the moment it was all they wanted.

The way she ran her fingers through his hair made him feel wanted. The way he held her tight to him made her feel loved. The way there seemed to be an unspoken desire behind their kisses spoke volumes to them.

He never wanted to let her go. He couldn't imagine a world without her.

She never wanted to leave him. She couldn't dream of a life without him.

They were made for each other.

And there in New York City, on the back patio of some random town house, the world proved to its people that love did exist.

And that it was not a forgotten art.

**Okay that was the most evil chapter I have ever written… in the sense that it took me so damn long! I could not figure out what to write. Plus I've been super, super busy with homework (I have put off my major big homework assignment by the way for this). Oh and also our boy's team is in State for Basketball so I've been driving two hours to go to their games to watch my brother and my really close friends.**

**In other news… I am stressed… haha. Bet you could tell that! Please review guys! Please? By the end of this month can we get to a 1000. I know I said last month but I don't blame you all because I was so busy and didn't post much. My story is over 100,000 words long… ghee whiz (does anyone say that anymore) that is the longest manuscript I have ever written. AHHH! I never thought I would be writing super long fanficitons but haha… I never thought I'd read fanfictions.**

**Um well… it's late and I'm tired and proud that I finally finished this chapter. What did you think? Yay nay? Too sappy? Let me know! Review, favorite and follow! Oh and if you haven't done so already, please hit the follow and favorite button. I know you've seen the button, I believe it's the little one in the right hand corner. Just go and do that right now I'll wait… … … … okay thanks :)**

**Message me! I'm slowly responding to them all… taking me a while but I'm doing it! Message me please! Oh and if you haven't responded to me in like the past week… *cough cough cough* you know who you are! Please message me back… :)**

**~Luna- Incendia14**

**Post Script- Eep my book finally came! It's terrible formatting and the story is terrible but oh well… **

**Post Post Script- Current book- Vampire Academy… um I'm not a big fan of vampires at all but I'm reviewing it and plus there's a movie coming out and I always read the book first… I'm hesitant on reading it but I have to so… um… if my parents find my copy they'll flip so pray that they don't.**

**Post Post Post Script- Songs I'm loving right now: Dead Hearts by Stars and Hallelujah by just about anyone. That song will probably be included in the next chapter. It was going to be in this one but I didn't have the lyrics on me… drat. **

**Post Post Post Post Script- What do you guys think about an Anarchic Monarchy? Is it possible or is it an oxymoron? Gods I hate those things! They're so…. Unnatural!**

**Love ya'll! Keep reading and dreaming and writing!**


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